The Streetlamp Dies
by Presto
Summary: CATS fic Five new toms have come to the junkyard. They are nice to everyone, but they seem to hate Mistoffelees and he does not know why. The question is, will he live long enough to find out? Rated PG13 for violence. Please rr and above all enjoy! :
1. Newcomers

(author's note) I do not own CATS. It is owned by TS Elliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Groups. Having gotten that out of the way, enjoy the story! =^.".^=  
  
Layf was leaning against an old bicycle tire. His arms crossed. His green eyes fixed on a large band of cats who had not noticed him. He was a tom about two years of age. He had sleek, brown fur that promoted his large, rippling muscles. Around his neck was a black, spiked collar.   
He had only lived in the junkyard for a day, but he acted as though he owned it. He actually thought that he did. Him and the other for toms in his gang. They were often thought to be brothers as they all looked perfectly similar. When in fact the only relation between them was that they shared the same human pet.   
Really, it was the human who owned the junkyard. He had recently bought it from it's previous owner. Having nowhere else to keep his feline companions, he decided to let them live there. The cats themselves believed that in fact they owned the junkyard. They called themselves the guard cats, knowing that it would be their job to guard the junkyard from intrusion.   
When their human had dropped them off they wasted no time in familiarizing themselves with their new home. Each went off in a different direction. The main intent was to learn whether or not any others had taken the liberty of inhabiting any part of it.  
The guard cat known as Layf, they all had short names, while searching his area had found a large band of felines of all ages and breeds who seemed to have been living there for quite some time. After signaling to the others, he stood patiently awaiting their arriving. It wasn't long before he heard a voice.  
  
"You signaled us, Layf," it said. "Have you found something?"  
  
Layf turned to see that the rest of the gang had arrived. As I have said before, the all looked alike. Sleek brown fur, muscular builds, green eyes, and spiked collars. The one who addressed him was the leader of the group. His name was Vor. Layf immediately straightened up to answer his leader.  
  
"Yes Vor, a band of cats who have inhabited this part of the junkyard."  
  
Vor and the others studied the group of felines.  
  
"What can you tell us about them?" asked the leader.  
  
Layf eagerly replied.  
  
"They call themselves, the jellicle tribe."  
  
"Are there any magicals?"  
  
Layf shook his head.  
  
"Not that I have seen. Their leader is an elderly tom by the name of Old Deuteronomy."  
  
Vor looked at Layf as though he had not heard correctly.  
  
"Old Deuteronomy? THE Old Deuteronomy?"  
  
Layf shrugged.  
  
"I assume so."  
  
Vor bit his lip.  
  
"This will be interesting," he said. "Not only does this jellicle tribe outnumber us, but they are head by the most well known and well loved cat in the town."  
  
"They will most likely not want to leave," said another guard cat whose name was Golb.  
  
"They do not seem hostile," said Layf. "It might be in our best interest to let them stay."  
  
Vor thought for a moment.  
  
"Let's meet this tribe," he said at last. "Meet their leader. And let me do the talking."  
  
The guard cats nodded. They were used to Vor being the spokestom of the gang. Without another word, Vor entered the clearing where the jellicle tribe lived. The other brown toms followed.  
The felines of the jellicle tribe were enjoying a rather normal day. The usual activities were taking place. The kittens played with and wrestled each other. On the bumper of the car, Jennyanydots and Jellyorum were knitting and gossiping. While on the tire Munkustrap, Alonzo and Skimbleshanks sat with Old Deuteronomy discussing the more official matters of the tribe. And so, it was a day like any other. Until a group of toms entered the clearing. The tribe went silent. Everyone stared at the strangers, noting how tall and strong they looked. The toms themselves did not seem to notice the looks that they were receiving. They walked straight to the center of the clearing and stopped. The tom who appeared to be in the lead stepped forward.  
  
"We wish to speak to the leader of this tribe," he said.  
  
Without hesitation, Old Deuteronomy stood up on the tire.   
  
"I am Old Deuteronomy," he said.   
  
Vor bowed respectfully to the old cat.  
  
"Old Deuteronomy, it is an honor to meet you."  
  
The jellicle leader smiled and bowed back.  
  
"I am Vor," continued the brown tom. "Leader of the guard cats. We are here because our human pet bought this junkyard and has left it in our charge."  
  
Old Deuteronomy nodded for Vor to continue.  
  
"Our intent was to find any others who might have settled here, and tell them that they must leave as they are trespassing."  
  
At this, Munkustrap leapt to his feet and glared down at them. The other jellicle toms followed his example. Vor sensed an attack on it's way and quickly continued.  
  
"However, we do not wish that any of you should have to leave your homes."  
  
"That is very considerate of you," said Old Deuteronomy.  
  
Vor bowed and continued.  
  
"We wish to make a deal. You may continue to live in this junkyard if we may be allowed to live here as well. To come and go as we please, to hunt for food, and to interact with the members of your tribe without fear of any harm being done to us."  
  
"That sounds reasonable to me," said the old cat.  
  
He turned to the gray tabby who stood at his side.   
  
"What do you think Munkustrap?"  
  
Before a response could be given, Vor broke in.  
  
"If you don't mind sir, we would like this decision to be made by you as the leader of this tribe."  
  
The gray tabby opened his mouth but before he could speak, Old Deuteronomy answered the guard cat.  
  
"Munkustrap is my second. He is training to take my place as the leader when I am no longer able. I feel that he should take part in any decision that is made."  
  
Vor nodded in consent.  
  
"I apologize," he said to Munkustrap.  
  
The gray tabby smiled.  
  
"I agree with Old Deuteronomy that your deal is a fair one. There is more than enough room in this junkyard for all of us. There is no reason why we can't live in it together as neighbors."  
  
The jellicle leader nodded in approval of Munkustrap's reply.  
  
"Then we accept your proposal. Let me be the first to welcome you to the junkyard."  
  
Again, Vor bowed.  
  
"We are very grateful and honored. Let me introduce us. As you know, I am Vor."   
  
He turned to the other toms in his gang.  
  
"This is Tak, Golb, Layf, and Kent."  
  
Each one of the guard cats bowed as his name was mentioned. Deuteronomy introduced them to each of the jellicles one by one.  
  
"There is one more," he said when all the introductions had been made. "He is not here at the moment as he frequently leaves the tribe's clearing to be alone. His name is Magical Mr. Mistoffelees."  
  
At the mention of the word magical, the guard cats' faces became solemn. All except Vor, who kept a friendly smile on his face.  
  
"There is a magical cat in your tribe?" he asked casually.  
  
The jellicle leader nodded.   
  
"His manner is vague and aloof. There's really nobody shier. But he is very friendly. I am sure that you will like him."  
  
Vor nodded in response. But what no one noticed was that behind his warm smile, he clenched his teeth as tightly as he could.  
  
  
  



	2. Hostility

Two hours had passed since the guard cats met the jellicle tribe. They had since been made to feel very welcome. They shared conversations with several of the jellicles including Munkustrap. The gray tabby enjoyed speaking to them as they asked him questions about leading the tribe and gave him numerous compliments. They also got along very well with the kittens. Kent had even played a round of hide-and-seek with them, much to their delight. Now, they sat on the tire talking amongst themselves.  
Before long, another tom entered the clearing. He was not as tall as the others. His fur was completely black save for his white chest and face. His black fur appeared to sparkle when the sun hit it from just the right angle. He had slipped into the clearing in such a quiet and casual way that nobody seemed to notice him. However, he had scarce taken three steps before a young queen named Jemima ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"It's about time you got back Misto," she said. "I missed you."  
  
The tuxedo, who was none other than Mistoffelees, smiled at her.   
  
"I missed you also," he said. "You were all that I thought about."  
  
He planted a small but loving kiss on her cheek. The queen blushed. She and the magical cat had been mates for almost a month. They had often been told that they were a cute couple, partly because they looked good together, but mostly because they were deeply in love with each other. Jemima hugged her mate affectionately.  
  
"I don't like it when you leave, but I love it when you come back."  
  
The pair was interrupted when the Rum Tum Tugger walked up to them.  
  
"Hey Misto, long time no see."  
  
"Hey Tugger," answered Mistoffelees.  
  
They had been good friends since the magical tom and his sister, Victoria, had been accepted into the tribe. Jemima watched as they did a pawshake that they had invented. She could never get it. All she knew was that it ended with an arm wrestling match. This time, it was Misto who was victorious.   
  
"You got lucky!"   
  
"You wish!" laughed the magical cat.  
  
"Hey, wishes come true all the time. Listen, I'd love to chat but I was just on my way out."  
  
"You going to meet that queen again?" Misto asked.  
  
The Maine coon nodded with a smile.  
  
"I don't want to keep her waiting. I'll see ya Misto, Jemima."  
  
With that, the Rum Tum Tugger strutted out of the tribe's clearing. Mistoffelees turned back to Jemima.  
  
"What queen is he meeting?" she asked.  
  
"He met a stray queen about a week ago in an alley. He's gone to meet her everyday since then."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
Misto shrugged.  
  
"He hasn't told me."  
  
"Well, why doesn't he bring her here? We'd love to meet her."  
  
"He offered to bring her here once, but she declined."  
  
"That's too bad," said Jemima.  
  
Misto didn't hear her last comment. His attention had been drawn to five, large, brown toms sitting on the tire.  
  
"Who are they?" he asked.  
  
Jemima followed his gaze.  
  
"Oh! They're new here."  
  
The queen explained to her mate about how the brown toms' human pet owned the junkyard and about the deal that they had made with the jellicle tribe.  
  
"They call themselves the guard cats," she said. "They are very nice. Let me introduce you to them."  
  
Before her mate could respond, Jemima had taken him by the paw and was pulling him toward the group of toms.  
  
"Hi," she said to them.  
  
They looked up at her and smiled.  
  
"Hello Jemima," said one of them.  
  
"I would like you to meet my mate," said the queen. "This is Misto."  
  
The black tom shook paws with each of the guard cats as they told him their names. Jemima was about to say more when someone called her. She turned to see her two friends, Electra and Etcetera, waving her over to them.  
  
"I'll be right back," she said.  
  
She ran toward the queens.  
  
"Sorry I wasn't here when you guys came," said Misto to the guard cats.  
  
"No problem," they responded.  
  
"So you and Jemima are mates huh?" asked Golb.  
  
The black tom nodded.  
  
"Darn! I was psyching myself up to ask her on a date."  
  
The toms laughed.  
  
"Misto," said Vor, after the laughing ceased. "Is that short for something?"  
  
The tuxedo nodded.   
  
"It's short for Mistoffelees."  
  
As soon as he said this, the guard cats' smiles vanished and their expressions turned cold.  
  
"So you're the magical cat?" asked Vor.  
  
Mistoffelees was confused by their sudden change of character, but he chose to continue as if he hadn't noticed.  
  
"They've told you about me," he said, forcing a smile. "Yes, I am a magical cat."  
  
The brown toms did not answer. They each looked at the paw that they'd used to shake his and proceeded to wipe it off on the tire. The magical cat's face became solemn as he watched them do this, but he said nothing. The guard cats simply stared at him in disgust. There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Mistoffelees felt as though their piercing eyes could see right through him. He was about to walk away when Jemima returned.  
  
"I'm back," she said.  
  
The guard cats' cold stares were immediately replaced by warm and friendly smiles, but Misto's expression stayed the same.  
  
"Sorry about that," continued the queen. "Electra and Etcetera needed me to settle a silly argument about the lyrics to the Moments of Happiness."  
  
The brown toms laughed.  
  
"Thank you for introducing us to your mate," said Vor.   
  
He looked at the magical tom.  
  
"It was nice to meet you Mistoffelees."  
  
He held out his paw. Misto hesitated, but for no more than a second. Then, he reached out and shook it. He felt as though Vor was cutting off his circulation, but he made no visible reaction.   
  
"Nice to meet you too," he said.  
  
Jemima smiled.  
  
"We'll talk to you later!"  
  
She linked her arm around her mate's and they turned to leave.   
After walking a little way, Mistoffelees turned his head and looked back at the guard cats, only to see that their faces were once again hard and they stared at him with expressions of bitter loathe and disgust.  
  



	3. Aggression

It had been three days since the guard cats came to the junkyard. They had since become very popular with the jellicle tribe. They were always in good moods and were very generous with compliments to anyone they happened to meet. Jellyorum and Jennyanydots would talk about how polite they were.  
  
"Always willing to lend a helping paw those guard cats."  
  
Munkustrap very much enjoyed the respect that he received from them. He and Vor often talked about the responsibilities of being a leader.   
Even the Rum Tum Tugger, who rarely spoke to them, took pleasure in hearing them compliment his looks.  
The one named Layf had taken a liking to the jellicle queen Victoria and she to him. They were often seen together. Sometimes talking, sometimes just being with each other.   
It would be safe to say that the guard cats had earned very good names for themselves amongst the jellicles, with the exception of one.   
The tom known as Mistoffelees found himself keeping his distance from the new cats. They were never as friendly to him as they were to the others. Why, he did not know. He couldn't think of any occasion that he had offended them. They just seemed to dislike him for some reason. Any attempt on his part to be friendly was returned with a cold stare or sarcastic remark. Whenever the guard cats were around, Misto had the uncomfortable feeling that they were watching him. They had even hissed at him when nobody else was watching. Since then, the magical cat had given up trying to be friendly and concentrated on staying away from them. When they came, he left. None of the jellicles noticed, as they were used to him leaving the tribe's clearing to work on his magic or choreograph a new dance. Out of all of them, he was the one who took dancing the most seriously. It was something that he loved to do and he was good at it.  
And so, no one had noticed that day how he conveniently left only a few minutes before the guard cats arrived. They visited with the tribe for about an hour when the one named Tak inquired as to where the magical cat had gone. Pouncival, a friend of Mistoffelees, explained how he had left just before the guard cats came.  
  
"He said something about a dance that he's been working on."  
  
Tak shook his head in amazement.  
  
"Heavyside, you all know how to dance don't you?"  
  
Pouncival smiled.  
  
"Yup, jellicle cats are born with the ability to dance. That and we love it!"  
  
"Is that why you have a ball every year?" asked Vor who had joined the conversation, as well as Golb and Kent.  
  
The jellicle tom nodded.  
  
"We usually perform the same songs and sometimes the same dances. But most of the time, we choreograph new ones. Misto is, without a doubt, our best dancer and choreographer."  
  
"Really?" asked Kent.  
  
"Oh yeah! He's got at least one solo every year. And he choreographs most of the ball. That's probably what he's doing right now."  
  
"Do you know where he went?" Vor asked casually.  
  
Pounce nodded.  
  
"He always goes to the same place."  
  
He pointed to a path leading away from the tribe.  
  
"If you follow that path you'll come to another clearing almost as big as this one. He choreographs the stuff there and then comes back and teaches it to us."  
  
The toms continued to talk for ten minutes before Vor announced that they should get going. Layf reluctantly said goodbye to Victoria with a promise to be back soon. Then, the guard cats followed their leader out of the tribe's clearing and down the path shown to them by Pouncival.  
  
Mistoffelees had been dancing for nearly an hour and a half. He did so every day, but he never tired of it. He had stopped to rest every so often, but now he was on his feet. The technique that he had adopted was simple. He would first decide whether his dance would be a three or eight count, then decide on the tempo, and having done all that, he'd simply dance. He was really into it at the moment. He had the eight count running through his head.   
  
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."  
  
Turn, lunge, kick, down, somersault, pose.  
  
He held the pose for a little while, thinking about what he had just done. The somersault didn't feel right. He should probably think of something else to do on the six and seven.  
He was so focused on what he was doing that he practically jumped when someone called his name.  
  
"Mistoffelees!"  
  
He whirled around to see the five, tall guard cats standing no more than six feet away from him.  
  
"Oh, don't mind us," said Vor with a grin. "We were just passing by and though we'd stop and see how our magical friend was doing."  
  
Misto said nothing as the guard cats casually formed a circle around him. The leader's smile faded.  
  
"Don't let us bother you."  
  
His cold stare was enough to turn the tuxedo's blood to ice, but he refused to let them know that he was at all nervous.  
  
"Did you want something?"  
  
To his vast surprise, Misto was boxed across the ears by the gang leader as he would do to a naughty kitten.  
  
"Mind your manners Mistoffelees," he said. "The polite thing would've been for you to say hello."  
  
"Hello," answered the magical cat sarcastically.  
  
Vor narrowed his eyes.  
  
"That was rather half-hearted, but what can we expect from something like you?"  
  
"I've been wondering why we didn't know that it was a magical right away," voiced Kent. "I mean, look at it! It's in a penguin suit!"  
  
The guard cats laughed. Mistoffelees clenched his teeth, but said nothing. Vor placed his elbow onto the magical cat's shoulder and used him as an armrest while he spoke.  
  
"You know Mistoffelees, I can't help but get the impression that you've been avoiding us. Have any of you noticed that?"  
  
The guard cats expressed their agreement.  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"You're right!"  
  
"I noticed that too!"  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"I don't know," answered the leader, leaning harder on the black cat. "Why is that Mistoffelees?"  
  
Misto didn't answer. Instead, he stepped out from under the brown tom who stumbled and almost fell.  
  
"Ooooo," said the guard cats, wondering what he would do.  
  
Vor regained his balance and stared at the faces of his gang. He let out a forced laugh, then turned and cuffed Misto across the face. He did not use his claws, but the force of the blow caused the magical cat to fall back into the arms of Kent.  
  
"Eww! Take it Golb, before it infects me!"  
  
Kent pushed the tuxedo toward the other brown tom.   
  
"Do you think I want to be infected? Here Tak!"  
  
Before Misto could regain his footing, he was shoved toward another guard cat who responded with the same loathe as the others.  
  
"Aaack! Layf, you love it's sister! You take it!"  
  
Layf caught the magical cat and held him by the fur on the back of his head. Misto clawed at the brown cat's paw trying to make him let go, but it was no use.  
  
"Yeah! I love it's sister not it! Someone else take it!"  
  
Layf jerked the tuxedo around the circle but the others backed away.  
  
"Sorry buddy," said Vor. "You're stuck with it."  
  
Layf hissed. He turned the magical cat around by the shoulder and cuffed him. Misto stumbled backward and tripped over a guard cat's leg. Someone threw a handful of dust in his face. He tried to stand, but was pushed back to the ground by Vor's foot. He groaned as he felt Tak kick him in the stomach.  
  
"Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?" sang the guard cats, kicking him and showering him with dust and gravel.  
  
Misto shielded his face with his arms. He had more than enough of their rough treatment. He counted to three in his head. Then he leapt to his feet and waved his paws through the air. There was a flash of blue lightning and the guard cats stifled cries of pain as they were flung backwards. Without hesitation. the magical cat raised his paw above his head and snapped his fingers. His surroundings vanished and he appeared back in the tribe's clearing. He stumbled a bit and shook his head. Warping always made him a bit dizzy.   
  
"Misto!" called Jemima, running toward him.  
  
He held out his arms and gave her a warm hug.  
  
"What on earth happened?" she asked.  
  
Mistoffelees looked down at himself and realized why she asked. His fur was almost completely covered with dust. He forced a smile as he brushed himself off.  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked the queen anxiously.  
  
He took her paw in his.  
  
"It was nothing, just an accident."  
  
He looked at her worried expression.  
  
"I was doing a triple pirouette and I didn't quite make it," he explained casually.   
  
"Triple pirouettes have never been a problem for you before."  
  
Misto laughed.  
  
"I guess gravity got the better of me today."  
  
Jemima stared at him for a few seconds. Then, a big smile came to her face.  
  
"As long as you're okay."  
  
"I am," assured Mistoffelees.  
  
He wrapped his arm affectionately around the queen's waist and they walked away.  
  
The next day, Mistoffelees was back at his clearing and working on the same dance that he had been the day before. Or at least, that's what he was trying to do. He found himself just wandering around the clearing. He didn't feel like dancing. He thought that if he tried hard enough, he could make himself feel like it.   
  
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight," he said, snapping as he counted.  
  
Nothing. His mind was on other things. Why did the guard cats heckle him the way they did? He had done nothing to them. It was as though they hated him for the fun of it. That's what it felt like to him. He and Victoria were only kittens when they were accepted into the tribe. While he was still new, the older jellicles bullied him because of his size. That same feeling was now returning to him. Why? He was not a kitten anymore. The guard cats were not kittens either, but they sure acted like it.  
Another thing that Mistoffelees did not understand was why he did let them get away with it? Why didn't he tell Jemima what really happened when she asked him? Why was he protecting them?  
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a noise behind him. He turned just in time to fall under the weight of a dark feline. Dazed from his head hitting the earth, he did not have time to move before his attacker managed to pin his arms to the ground.  
  
"I've got it!" yelled a familiar voice.  
  
He shook his head and looked up at the tom. It was Vor. Mistoffelees struggled to get free as the other guard cats gathered around them.   
  
"Let me go!" he demanded.  
  
Vor completely ignored the tuxedo. He looked up at his gang.  
  
"Hurry up will ya!"  
  
Misto didn't see who, but one of the guard cats managed to get a small, cloth bag over his head. The next thing he felt was being pulled to his feet by his arms. Then, whoever was holding him began to drag him away. He didn't know which direction they were going, but wherever it was he didn't want to be there. He tried as hard as he could to get away, but the toms held him with an iron grip.  
  
"Let me go!"  
  
"Shut up!" yelled someone, probably Vor.  
  
Mistoffelees continued to struggle. He could see nothing. The cloth bag made it difficult to breathe. All he could hear were Vor's commands to his gang. Suddenly, he heard a new sound. He had to strain his ears to hear over the shouts of the guard cats, but he could make out the sound of something opening. He was dragged for maybe another ten feet. Then the toms threw him forward. Misto was unable to keep his balance and he fell to the ground. He rolled a few times until he hit something hard that stopped him. His keen ears could hear a click of some sort. Then the shouts of the guard cats ceased and all he could hear was the sound of feet running away.   
He tore the cloth sack off of his head to find himself outside the junkyard. The hard thing that had stopped him was a tree. He slowly got to his feet, massaging his aching arms. He saw the junkyard gate, held shut with a large chain and lock. The guard cats had thrown him out. Literally.  
Misto surveyed the fence. It was made of strong chain link. Barbed wire lined the top to make it impossible for anyone to climb over it. He and Victoria had entered through a hole in the fence somewhere in the back. There was no point in walking all the way around the junkyard to find it. Misto brushed himself off, raised his paw above his head and snapped his fingers.  
  



	4. Medica

(author's note) Thanx for all of your reviews! I know this is a long fic, but bear with me. I promise something'll happen soon! =^.".^=  
  
  
Mistoffelees continued to avoid the guard cats during the few days that followed. He left the tribe's clearing when he heard them coming and did not return until he was absolutely sure that they had left. This way, they never met face to face. Misto wasn't really sure if they knew that he was still there. They had locked him out of the junkyard and hadn't seen him since. He had easily warped back to the tribe's clearing with only a snap of his fingers. He liked the thought that no locked gate could stand in his way. He wondered that the guard cats did not think of that. Perhaps they thought he'd be too scared to return. In truth, he was a little scared. He didn't know why they acted the way they did. First bullying him and then kicking him out. Mistoffelees simply did not understand.  
One day, he returned to the tribe's clearing almost immediately after the guard cats had left. Jemima greeted him like she always did. She told him that the brown toms had inquired where he was and that she had told them that he was in his clearing as usual. So now they knew that he was still there. But, Misto never saw them. Perhaps they had decided to leave him alone. He hoped this was the case.  
  
Rum Tum Tugger walked down the sidewalk. He had left the junkyard and was on his way to meet the stray queen. It was a beautiful day. They sky was clear and blue. The air was warm and clean. There were a number of cats out and about. Some that he knew and some that he'd never seen before. But all of the females knew him. He strutted past a house to see a young queen sitting inside the window looking at him. He grinned and winked at her. A big smile came to her face. She waved back so vigorously that she fell off of the window sill and out of view. The Maine coon chuckled and shook his head. An adult queen walked up to him and purred a hello. He allowed her to rub against him for a little while. Then he lightly shoved her away like he did to Bombalurina on occasion, and continued on as though he had forgotten she was there. He was used to things like that. It always happened when he walked down the streets of London.  
Up ahead, he could see the lamp post where he and the stray queen always met. However, this time the queen was not there. Tugger looked around confusedly. She was never late.   
Suddenly, he heard a scream coming from the alley just ahead of him. He ran into it. He saw a frightened calico who had been cornered by three, black, scruffy toms. Macavity's henchcats! Tugger looked around, but he did not see the Napoleon of Crime anywhere. Convinced that it was just them, he picked up a piece of wood and crept up behind the henchcat closest to him. He held his finger over his lips to let the queen know to be quiet. Then, he lifted the wood and hit the henchcat on the head as hard as he could. The scruffy tom fell to the ground unconscious. Before the other two could react, Rum Tum Tugger grabbed the one to his left and threw him into the wall. The last henchcat came up behind him. The calico shouted a warning. The Maine coon turned, but not in time to dodge a swipe from the henchcat's claws. Tugger gritted his teeth and glanced at the cuts on his arm. So one of Macavity's henchcats dared break the Rum Tum Tugger's skin did he? He hissed at the scruffy tom who suddenly froze in his tracks. A look of terror came to his red eyes. Tugger slashed him across the face. He fell under the blow.   
  
"Run!" he shouted. "It's a jellicle cat! Run!"  
  
The two henchcats picked up their unconscious comrade and bolted out of the alley. The Maine coon turned to the calico who ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.   
  
"Tugger!" she said happily. "You saved my life!"  
  
"The privilege was all mine."  
  
He kissed her. She was the queen he had come to meet.  
  
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"No, but they hurt you."  
  
Rum Tum Tugger looked at the deep cuts on his arm.  
  
"It's nothing," he said.  
  
"Let me look at it."  
  
"No, really Medica, it's nothing."  
  
Before Tugger could stop her, the calico queen named Medica placed a paw over the large scratches. The Maine coon clenched his teeth and stifled a groan. Her paw felt like red hot iron pressed on his raw flesh! Finally, she removed it. He gasped in relief and grabbed his arm. He suddenly realized that the cuts did not hurt anymore. He removed his paw. There was no blood. Not only that, but there were no scratches. Not even a scar. The wound had vanished. The shocked Tugger looked at the calico.  
  
"My name is Medica," she said. "It comes from the Latin word medicus. It means healer."  
  
"Did you. . ."  
  
"Yes," answered the calico. "Now you know my secret."  
  
"You. . .you have. . ."  
  
"Healing powers. Yes, I've had them since I was born. But I stopped telling felines."  
  
"Why?" asked the Tugger. He did understand why anyone would want to keep a special power secret.   
  
"I used to live in a big town far away from here. When word got out that I had healing powers, I was mobbed by felines with ailments and injuries, begging me to heal them. Owned toms would come up to me with business proposals. They offered me all this stuff. They wanted to buy me. I never had a moment to myself. I couldn't stand it anymore so I ran away and came here."  
  
"And you've kept it a secret ever since?"  
  
Medica nodded.  
  
"I don't want that to happen to me again."  
  
She looked into the Maine coon's eyes.   
  
"Please don't tell anyone."  
  
Rum Tum Tugger smiled and took her in his arms.  
  
"Your secret is safe with me," he said kindly. "For now, I will only use my lips for one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Tugger didn't answer. Instead, he leaned down and gave the calico a passionate kiss.  
  



	5. Threat

(author's note) Don't ya'll just love these wonderful notes? :-) Just kidding. Okay, there is one swear word in this chapter. Well, depending on how you look at it. I don't consider it a swear word, but someone else might. Anyway, just wanted to mention that. And now I'll be quiet so that you can actually read! Don't forget to enjoy! =^.".^=  
  
  
Mistoffelees stood alone in his clearing. His eyes were closed. He was rubbing his paws together very hard. So hard in fact, that they began to burn. He ignored the feeling and kept rubbing. After a few seconds, his black paws began to glow with a golden light. He did not see it, as his eyes were still closed, but he knew that it was happening. The light grew brighter and brighter and brighter. It would have been blinding to look at. He raised his glowing paws above his head and clapped. The light flew from his paws and formed a bright circle above his head. A sound like music filled the air. Only then did he open his eyes. He looked at the circle and smiled.   
  
"Presto."  
  
The magical cat shaped the golden ring into a star. With a wave of his paw, the star began to spin. It spun faster and faster and grew bigger and bigger. The music became louder and more beautiful than ever. Misto closed his eyes and listened to it. His paws held high above his head.  
There was something he loved about inventing a new feat of magic. Like performing a dance perfectly for the first time. The feeling of being on top of the world. As though he could to anything. A huge smile came to his face. The beautiful feeling. The beautiful music. The beautiful light.  
  
"Not a bad trick," said a voice from behind him.  
  
Mistoffelees recognized it immediately and it sent chills up his spine. His smile vanished. He opened his eyes and let his arms drop. The glowing star disappeared. The music ceased. All was as it was before. Misto turned.  
  
"What do you want?" he hissed to the guard cats.  
  
"Aw, Mistoffelees," answered Vor, taking a step forward. "Don't be like that."  
  
The tuxedo did not answer. Vor continued.  
  
"I don't know if you've heard, but we're going on a little vacation with our human."  
  
"Really," came Misto's bland reply.  
  
The head guard cat nodded.  
  
"And when you weren't with the others, we thought we'd pay you a quick visit to say goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye then."  
  
"Wait Mistoffelees, we also wanted to talk to you."  
  
"I'm busy."  
  
The magical tom turned away from the guard cats.  
  
"You have time," answered Vor.   
  
Suddenly his voice wasn't so friendly.   
  
"Believe me, you have time."  
  
Misto froze in his tracks. He watched as the brown toms gathered around him. Slowly, he turned and again faced Vor who had a sarcastic smile on his face.  
  
"Well? I'm listening."  
  
"What's the rush Mistoffelees?" said the leader, turning his back to the magical cat.  
  
"Take a seat and I'll tell you."   
Misto turned his head to see that one of them had placed an upside down paint can a few feet behind him. He looked at Vor.  
  
"We can talk, standing up," he said.  
  
He spoke slowly, trying his best not to sound nervous. His heart was pounding and his pulse raced, but he stared at the leader without the slightest hint of fear.  
  
"Sit down!" roared the head guard cat.  
  
Mistoffelees felt his heart leap into his throat when four strong paws grabbed his arms and pulled him back. He struggled but could not get free before he fell back onto the paint can. The guard cats, who he saw were Tak and Kent, twisted his arms way up behind his back. He flinched and gritted his teeth, but said nothing.   
  
"That's better," said the leader. "You have been a lot of trouble Mistoffelees. You do not seem to understand that. . ."  
  
As he spoke, Vor looked back at the magical cat and rolled his eyes.   
  
"Pollicle Heavyside, let it go."  
  
"I'm afraid we can't do that Vor," said Tak.  
  
The leader looked at him blankly.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"We don't know about you, but we remember what it was like to be on the receiving end of it's lightning. We're not going to let that happen again."  
  
Vor walked toward them.  
  
"It won't electrocute us again," he said.   
  
He bent down and looked at the black cat. Their faces only inches apart.  
  
"Will you Mistoffelees?"  
  
Misto didn't answer.  
  
"That's not very reassuring," said Kent.   
  
Vor straightened to his full height.  
  
"Fine, make it sit on it's paws if you're so worried."  
  
With that he turned and walked a few feet away. Misto felt Tak and Kent release him. He briefly glared up at them and started to massage his sore arms.  
  
"You heard what he said," hissed Tak. "Do it."  
  
Misto ignored him. The guard cat extended his long claws and held them menacingly in front of Misto's face.  
  
"Do it."  
  
The magical cat's eyes grew wide and his breath quickened as he stared at the claws, but he did not move.  
  
"Do it!"  
  
Misto caught his breath as Tak held his claws to his throat. Not knowing what else to do, the magical cat obeyed the command. Tak slowly removed his claws, but he kept them held where Misto could see them.  
  
"As I was saying Mistoffelees," continued Vor, as if nothing had happened. "You do not seem to understand that you have no right to be here."  
  
Misto had not yet recovered from the previous scare that Tak had given him. Vor's speech hit him very hard. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Neither do you," he said, hoping that his voice did not shake.  
  
"Actually, we do. This is our junkyard and you are trespassing."  
  
"You made a deal with us that if you could stay, we could stay."  
  
"Correction," Vor answered blandly. "We made a deal with the jellicle tribe, not with you."  
  
Misto took another deep breath.  
  
"I'm in the jellicle tribe."  
  
The head guard cat shook his head.  
  
"Someone needs reminding of the conditions of our deal. The jellicles could stay in the junkyard if we could stay without any harm done to us."  
  
The magical tom's eyes widened. He knew where Vor was going with this.  
  
"You broke that deal when you hit us with your lightning a few days ago."  
  
"You broke that deal when you attacked me."  
  
"The deal was no harm done to us Mistoffelees. We didn't say anything about you."  
  
Vor smiled and looked down at the magical cat.  
  
"We've tried to get you to understand that you must leave Mistoffelees. We've even personally escorted you from the junkyard. And yet, you don't seem to understand."  
  
His smile faded and his expression became cold and threatening.  
  
"You're kind does not belong here."  
  
Misto's breath quickened. He hoped that the brown toms did not notice.  
  
"And where does my kind belong?" he asked defiantly.  
  
"Hell," hissed Vor.  
  
The magical cat's blood ran cold. He stared up at the head guard cat. His eyes wide with fear. Vor held him with an evil gaze and continued.  
  
"Somewhere where no one will be infected by your disgusting existence."  
  
"Poor Jemima," voiced Golb, his voice as icy as his leader's. "Having something like that for a mate."  
  
"Poor Victoria," added Layf. "Forced to have that for a relative."  
  
Misto closed his eyes and bowed his head, trying to block out their dagger-like words.  
  
"Munkustrap must've been insane to accept a disease like that into his tribe," said Kent.  
  
"And it's up to us to cure it for him," answered Vor.  
  
He turned his focus back to Mistoffelees.  
  
"Look at me magical cat!" he roared.  
  
Misto's head shot up and he stared at the leader with wide eyes.  
  
"You have two choices. One, you can do all of your jellicle friends the biggest favor you'll ever do them, and leave this town forever. Or two, you can torture them further by staying. But, I warn you Mistoffelees, if you're still here when we return, then it's our responsibility to rescue the innocent jellicles from your fowl existence. For good."  
  
Misto drew in a quick breath. His eyes shot from one guard cat's face to the next. Then he looked back at Vor.   
  
"Don't worry," said the leader. "You will not be missed. A pollicle never misses it's fleas."  
  
The magical tom bowed his head.  
  
"Personally," continued the leader. "I hope that you are still here when we return. It would be much better for everyone. The world would be a healthier and more sanitary place to live in without a raging mass of toxic bacteria infecting it's surface."  
  
Vor smiled as he looked down at the tuxedo.  
  
"We'll leave you to decide," he said.  
  
He turned and started out of the clearing with the rest of his gang behind him. Just before they left, the leader turned and gave Misto a counterfeit friendly smile.   
  
"Good bye, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. Hope to see ya when we get back!"  
  
With that, the guard cats left the clearing.  
  



	6. Alienation

Mistoffelees took a deep breath and entered the tribe's clearing as casually as he could. He was almost immediately greeted by Jemima.   
  
"You've been gone for ages!" she said. "Or at least for hours."  
  
"Was it really that long?"  
  
The queen nodded.  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"I was conjuring up a new trick for this year's ball."  
  
Jemima squealed with delight.  
  
"Really? Show me!"  
  
The magical tom smiled but said nothing.  
  
"Oh c'mon, please?"  
  
Misto shook his head.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
The jellicle queen forced a frown.  
  
"You're no fun."  
  
Misto waved his paw in a circle and flicked his wrist. A lovely little daisy appeared in his paw which he gave to Jemima. She took it and hugged him.  
  
"But I forgive you."  
  
"Thank you," he answered.   
  
Then, he changed the subject.  
  
"I need to talk to Old Deuteronomy, is he here?"  
  
Jemima shook her head.  
  
"He was here, but he went to his human's house for lunch a while ago."  
  
"What about Munkustrap?"  
  
"Oh, he's here. He's over in the car."  
  
Mistoffelees looked to where his mate was pointing.  
  
"With Demeter?" he asked.  
  
"No, I'm pretty sure he's alone. Why? Is there something wrong?"  
  
Misto shook his head.  
  
"Nothing at all."  
  
He planted a kiss on her cheek, then started toward the car. Each step he took was harder than the one before. He really wanted to keep the guard cats' threat to himself. He should be able to handle it alone. He shouldn't have to go running for help like a scared kitten who needs his mama.   
  
"C'mon Misto, be realistic," he thought to himself.  
  
After all, this was not a simple scrape on the knee, or a teasing remark from a mean bully. This was life and death. Magical powers or none, he knew that he couldn't handle all five of the guard cats by himself. He had to tell someone. Munkustrap would soon be the leader of the tribe. Who better to tell than him?   
Mistoffelees took a deep breath and entered the car. Just as Jemima had said, the gray tabby was alone. He was stretched out on an old blanket, but he rose when the magical tom entered and greeted him with a friendly smile.  
  
"Hi Misto."  
  
Mistoffelees tried to return his smile, but found that he couldn't.   
  
"Hi Munk."  
  
Munkustrap could tell that he was uncomfortable and decided that this was not a casual visit.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
Misto nodded.  
  
"Something happened. I need to tell you."  
  
Aaargh! The tuxedo could not think of a time when he had been more nervous. Nothing was coming out right. The gray tabby motioned toward the blanket.  
  
"Wanna sit down?"  
  
Mistoffelees shook his head. Munkustrap shrugged.  
  
"What do you want to tell me?"  
  
Misto took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what to say and he did not want to sound stupid.  
  
"It's about the guard cats."  
  
The gray tabby smiled.  
  
"Ah, the guard cats. They're cool aren't they? I was a little worried at first, but Heavyside they sure turned out friendly."  
  
Misto bit his lip, but Munkustrap did not notice and continued.  
  
"Especially Vor. He and I can relate to each other both being leaders and all. Jennyanydots is always telling me how polite they are. The kittens really love them."  
  
"They threatened to kill me," the magical cat quietly broke in.  
  
"I'm sorry, what?"  
  
"They threatened to kill me."  
  
The tabby stared at him for a few seconds, then he burst out laughing.  
  
"Good one!" he said. "Now seriously. . ."  
  
"I am serious! They threatened to kill me!"  
  
Mistoffelees was getting desperate. Munkustrap's smile faded.  
  
"Misto, it's not funny anymore."  
  
"I never meant it to be!" the tuxedo insisted. "I really mean it!"  
  
"When?"  
  
"Today."  
  
Munkustrap shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry Misto, but they left for a vacation today. You weren't even here when they came 'round to say goodbye."  
  
"I know. They came to my clearing just before they left. They said that if I was still here when they got back, they'd kill me."  
  
"Look Mistoffelees, I know you don't like them but. . ."  
  
"ME not like THEM?" repeated Misto in shock.  
  
"Don't interrupt! Yes, you not like them. You always leave right before they get here. They ask where you are. They tell us that they wish they could talk to you. I know you're a bit shy, but you don't have to be anti-social!"  
  
Mistoffelees was lost for words. Munkustrap continued.  
  
"If you'd stick around and actually get to know them you might change your point of view. But, since you insist on rudely avoiding them, don't start telling lies about them. Especially nothing serious like death threats!"  
  
"But, I. . ."  
  
"Enough! What reason do they have to kill you anyway?"  
  
"I don't kno. . ."  
  
"I said enough!" shouted Munkustrap harshly.   
  
Misto's heart leapt into his throat and he took a step backward.  
  
"Now get out of here! And no more of this death threat stuff!"  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"I said get. . ."  
  
The toms were interrupted when Old Deuteronomy entered the car.  
  
"Hello Munkustrap, Mistoffelees."  
  
As soon as he'd said this, the old cat knew that there was something wrong. He could sense the tension in the air.  
  
"Hello Old Deuteronomy," answered Munkustrap.  
  
The jellicle leader noted the tabby's hard expression and the wide eyes of the magical tom.  
  
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.  
  
Misto was about to speak, but Munkustrap cut him off.  
  
"Not at all. Mistoffelees was just leaving."  
  
He pushed the magical tom toward the door. Misto desperately turned to the jellicle leader.  
  
"Sir, I. . ."  
  
"OUT!"  
  
Munkustrap raised a paw ready to strike, but before he could, Misto dashed out of the car. Old Deuteronomy stared at the gray tabby in confusion.  
  
"That was rather harsh don't you think?"  
  
"I told him twice to leave. He didn't listen to me."  
  
The toms sat down on the blanket.  
  
"Do you know what he was going to say?" asked the old cat.  
  
Munkustrap nodded.  
  
"Probably the same rotten lie that he gave me."  
  
"Lie? Misto has never lied before."  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
Munkustrap shook his head.  
  
"It's nonsense."  
  
"Tell me anyway."  
  
"It's not even worth repeating."  
  
"Munkustrap."  
  
"Okay," consented the gray tabby, not wanting to anger the old leader. "He tried to tell me that the guard cats had threatened to kill him."  
  
Deuteronomy raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know, it's completely insane."  
  
"Did he say why?"  
  
Munkustrap shook his head.  
  
"How about when?"  
  
"Today."  
  
"Didn't the guard cats leave today?" asked Deuteronomy.  
  
"That's what I told him, but he kept insisting."  
  
The jellicle leader was silent. Munkustrap continued.  
  
"His exact words were, 'they said that if I was still here when they got back they'd kill me.' Sounds like something out of a bad mystery film doesn't it?"  
  
Deuteronomy nodded.  
  
"It is strange."  
  
The tabby looked at him.  
  
"Sir, you don't think Mistoffelees was telling the truth do you?"  
  
"I don't know Munkustrap. But, I've always known him to be truthful. Do you think he'd lie about something as serious as a death threat?"  
  
"But sir, the guard cats have never been anything but friendly to us." (Not to mention the wonderful respect they have for my authority) but Munkustrap did not say that out loud.   
  
"Ask anyone, other than Misto of course, and they'll tell you."  
  
The leader nodded.  
  
"It's strange."  
  
Mistoffelees did not want to attract attention to himself. After he exited the car, he took a deep breath and tried to look calm. Glad to see that no one had noticed him, he began to walk slowly along the edge of the clearing. He could not believe what had just happened. He tried to tell Munkustrap about the guard cats' threat and was rebuked for it. Why? He knew that the newcomers were well liked by the tribe, but he didn't think that they had become more trustworthy than himself. Was that his own fault? Was it the consequence of being vague and aloof? Mistoffelees never thought that it mattered to the tribe. He couldn't help how shy he was. He hated being with large groups of felines at one time. Four or five was okay, but any more than that. It made him uncomfortable. As if he was having a panic-attack or something like that. The only time that he did not mind being the center of attention was when he was either dancing or performing his magic. Then, he could almost forget that there was anyone watching him and simply have fun. Other than that, he couldn't stand being watched. He didn't think that the jellicles minded. They had never shown it before. He supposed that there was a limit as to how much one can trust someone who never says much and is barely around.   
The thought crossed his mind that maybe the jellicles thought of him the same way the guard cats did. As a thing. A nuisance. A disease. Maybe Victoria really did hate being his sister. Maybe Jemima didn't like being his mate. Maybe Munkustrap regretted letting him join the tribe at all.  
The magical cat wrapped his arms around himself and bit his lip. He never felt so down cast before in his life. Like he'd been reduced to the lowest member of the tribe. Maybe that's what he was.   
He scanned the clearing. It seemed like all of the jellicles were talking about the guard cats. The kittens spoke of how much of how friendly they were. How they would play with them. How they hoped they would come back soon.  
Jellyorum and Jennyanydots shared the usual conversation about their politeness and helpful attitude.  
On the tire, Demeter and her sister Bombalurina teased Victoria about Layf.  
Victoria.  
Layf's cold words echoed through Misto's mind.  
  
*Poor Victoria, forced to have that for a relative.*  
  
He bowed his head.  
  
*That for a relative. Poor Victoria. Poor Victoria.*  
  
He looked up to see that Jemima had joined the queens on the tire.  
  
*Poor Jemima, having something like that for a mate. That for a mate. Poor Jemima. Poor Jemima.*  
  
Mistoffelees shook his head trying to get the voices to leave, but they only grew louder.  
  
*Your kind doesn't belong.*  
  
*Infected by your disgusting existence.*  
  
*Poor Jemima.*  
  
*Poor Victoria.*  
  
Misto gritted his teeth and covered his face with his paws.  
  
*Munkustrap was insane to accept that.*  
  
*A disease like that.*  
  
*Stay and torture them.*  
  
*Your fowl existence.*  
  
*For good.*  
  
*Hope to see ya when we get back! Hope to see ya when we get back! Hope to see ya when we get back!*  
  
Misto started when he felt a paw on his shoulder. His head shot up and he frantically pushed it away.  
  
"Misto?"  
  
He suddenly realized that he was on the ground and Jemima was standing over him. A surprised and worried expression on her face. Misto did not know when he had fallen, but he quickly got to his feet.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said.  
  
Jemima gave him a gentle hug.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
The tuxedo hesitated. Did he really want to tell her what had happened? What if she reacted the same way Munkustrap did?  
  
"Nothing," he said at last.  
  
Jemima studied him carefully.   
  
"I know there's something Misto. Please tell me."  
  
"I was just thinking about. . ."  
  
The magical tom's voice trailed off and he bowed his head. The queen hugged him again.  
  
"It's okay," she said. "But, I think you need some rest."  
  
"I'm all right, really."  
  
"I insist."  
  
Misto finally admitted that he was a little tired. The couple walked through a passageway of junk, until they reached hovel lined with soft rags. This was where they slept. Misto laid down on the rags. Jemima massaged his shoulders and purred soothingly. His mind was still troubled, but he convinced himself to forget about all that at the present time. He began to purr as he felt himself relax. And soon, he had slipped into a peaceful sleep.   
  



	7. Attack

(author's note) Yet another long chapter, but worth reading. And there is more. I promise ya'll that. =^.".^=  
  
  
*three days later*  
  
Jemima and Victoria sat together on the tire. They had been chatting for a while about whatever subject came up. Jemima suddenly noticed her mate sitting just outside the entrance of their sleeping quarters. He appeared to be in profound meditation.   
  
"Victoria," she said. "Have you noticed anything different about Misto lately?"  
  
The white queen followed her friend's gaze to the magical cat.  
  
"Actually, I have. What have you noticed?"  
  
"Well, for the past few days he's been so quiet, so isolated."  
  
Jemima was trying to find the right words to describe what she had observed.  
  
"More vague and aloof than usual. Do you know what I mean?"  
  
Victoria nodded.  
  
"I understand and I agree completely. It's like he's trying his best to avoid us. Two days ago, he asked me if I minded having him for a brother."  
  
"That's strange. Yesterday, he asked me if I ever regretted becoming his mate."  
  
The two queens stared at each other, then back at Mistoffelees. Jemima sighed.  
  
"It's like he's lost all of his self esteem. Has he ever been like this before?"  
  
"No," answered the white queen. "I mean, he's always been shy, but never like this."  
  
"I've asked him so many times if there is something wrong. He'll either look the other way or insist that there's nothing to worry about. I wonder if it's something I did. Maybe I'm the one he's angry at."  
  
Victoria looked at her friend in surprise.  
  
"Certainly not Jemima!"  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder if our relationship is really as strong as I thought it was," said the queen sadly. "Maybe we shouldn't be together anymore. Maybe it was never meant to be."  
  
"Oh Jemima, don't say that!"  
  
Victoria wrapped a kind arm around her friend.  
  
"You love him don't you?"  
  
"With all of my heart."  
  
"And Misto loves you."  
  
"He did once," said Jemima, her pretty green eyes flooded with tears.  
  
"He still does. He loves you Jem. He loves you more than anything."  
  
"Oh Vic, I'm just not so sure of that anymore!"  
  
Victoria gently hugged her friend. Jemima buried her face in her paws and cried.  
  
=^.".^=  
  
Victoria walked over to her brother and stood next to him for quite some time. He did not seem to know she was there.   
  
"Misto?" she said at last.  
  
He did not reply.  
  
"Misto!"  
  
This time, the magical cat snapped to attention. His eyes widened when he saw her.  
  
"Victoria! I'm so sorry! I didn't hear you coming!"  
  
The queen thought that he was on the verge of a panic.  
  
"Misto calm down! It's fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure."  
  
She sat down next to her brother who responded by moving over as far as he could to give her more room.   
  
"We need to talk," said Victoria noting this strange action. "There's something bothering you and frankly, it's affecting all of us."  
  
Misto turned his head.  
  
"Jemima thinks that you are mad at her for some reason."  
  
"She does? I could never be angry at her. She's done nothing!"  
  
"Well she thinks she has," answered the queen. "She's even wondering if you two should stay together at all. She thinks you don't love her anymore."  
  
"That's not true!" insisted Mistoffelees. "I love her more than all the world times a million!"  
  
"Well that's not the impression she's getting."  
  
The tuxedo bowed his head but said nothing.  
  
"Misto what's wrong? I know there's something bothering you. What is it?"  
  
When her brother did not answer, Victoria rose to her feet.  
  
"Fine, don't tell me, but at least talk to Jemima!"  
  
With that, she walked away. Misto watched her leave. He knew she was right. He had to talk to Jemima, but he didn't know what to say. His mind was a mess of thought and he wanted to clean it up first. He decided to take a walk to his clearing. He hadn't been there since the guard cats left three days earlier. Perhaps, being alone would help him clear his head. He got up and started on his way.  
  
=^.".^=  
  
Soon, Misto found himself in his clearing. The good, familiar clearing. Far enough away that the sounds from the jellicle tribe could not be heard. Big enough that he could dance as much as he desired. His good, familiar clearing.   
He was glad that he was alone. He really needed to think. He had never meant to hurt Jemima in any way. He loved her. He loved her more than anything. He remembered when he saw her for the first time. He had only been a jellicle for a day. He remembered seeing her and not being able to take his eyes off of her. She was the most beautiful queen he had ever seen. The next thing he knew, she was walking up to him! She introduced herself! He was not sure what to say. He smiled and bowed to her. She smiled back! That's when he knew that she was the queen he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.   
That dream had come true. They had become mates. He loved her so much. The thought never occurred to him that their relationship would fade. He could not imagine life without her. He couldn't let her leave. He would do anything. He knew that it was his own fault that she felt the way she did. He needed to tell her the truth. He needed to assure her that she meant everything to him. He needed to tell her that he loved her. The magical tom had made up his mind. He would return to the tribe's clearing and do just that. The love that he and Jemima shared was just too precious to throw away.  
He turned around with the intention of going back.  
He found himself face to face with the leader of the guard cats. Misto started to run the other way, but before he could take a single step, the brown toms had surrounded him. He slowly turned back to Vor, an angry fire burning in his eyes.   
  
"We just got back and wanted to see if you were still here," said the leader. "When you were, we thought we'd stop and say hello."  
  
"Then say it and go away," came the tuxedo's bland reply.  
  
"Do you remember what we told you when we left, or do you need reminding?"  
  
"I remember."  
  
"Then why are you still here?"  
  
Misto couldn't help but shudder as the guard cats each took a step toward him.   
  
"You have no right to make me leave! This is my home!"  
  
"Not for long it isn't!"  
  
Suddenly, Tak grabbed Misto's wrist and yanked it up behind his back, clamping a paw over his mouth.   
  
"You should've gotten out while you had the chance magical cat!" he hissed.  
  
Mistoffelees raised his free paw over his head and snapped before anyone could stop him. Tak hissed in frustration as the black tom vanished.  
  
"Where is it?" demanded Vor.  
  
"There it is!"  
  
The brown toms looked toward where Kent was pointing. They saw Mistoffelees standing not to far away from them. Misto panicked when he realized that he'd been spotted. He turned around and dashed toward the tribe's clearing with the guard cats close behind.   
Misto ran as fast as he could, trying not to lose his breath. He could hear the brown toms catching up. He glanced behind him to see how far they were. That small moment was all Vor needed. He rammed into the magical cat's side, sending him tumbling to the ground.   
In a flash, the others caught up with them. Tak picked up the tuxedo by the fur on his chest and slashed him across the face as hard as he could. Misto flailed his arm trying to stay on his feet. Someone wrapped an arm tightly around his neck. The black tom gasped for breath. He tried to get away, but the tom's grip was only made tighter. He drove his elbow hard into his attacker's stomach. He then turned and slashed him across the face. Golb screeched and rubbed his cheek where he had been struck.  
Mistoffelees suddenly felt a stinging pain across his back. Stifling a cry, he turned around to see Layf holding a broken bottle, it's sharp edges dripping with blood.  
Another guard cat slashed Misto across the face. The black tom managed to keep his balance but, before he had time to think, Vor and Tak had each taken hold of his wrists and began to pull, each in an opposite direction from the other. Misto groaned. He felt sure that they would rip him apart in a matter of seconds.  
Suddenly, Vor released his grip and both Mistoffelees and Tak fell to the ground. The tuxedo was quick to regain his feet. He held a paw above his head and got ready to snap. Layf quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled it down. Kent grabbed his other wrist. Misto clenched his teeth and tried not to groan as he felt them sink their claws deep into his fingers.   
  
"Try to disappear now magical cat!" laughed Kent.  
  
He grabbed Mistoffelees by the fur and threw him to the ground. Misto couldn't help but let out small cries of pain as the guard cats stomped on his paws and back, making them bleed heavier. He felt a sudden stabbing in his right leg just above his knee. He turned his head and looked up to see that Golb was fastening his collar around his leg with the spikes down. Misto slashed at him trying to get him to stop, but was stopped himself when Vor kicked him in the jaw.  
  
"Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?" sang the guard cats as the dazed Misto spat out a mouthful of blood.  
  
Layf lifted him by the fur and slashed him across the face. Misto recovered quickly and managed to back away from the brown toms. He waved his paws and shot a bolt of lightning toward them. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and Mistoffelees yowled painfully. The lightning disappeared as he pulled back his burned paw. The blood that covered it had turned black and still sizzled. Layf had fallen under the force of the lightning, but was quickly scrambling to his feet.  
A guard cat that Misto did not see slashed him across the face.   
Through blurred vision, the tuxedo saw Tak running up to him with the broken bottle clutched in his paw. Misto saw him slice it through the air and then felt a stinging pain. He looked down to see a big horizontal cut across his stomach. He pushed Tak out of the way and again ran toward the tribe. Kent hurled a rock at him. Misto groaned as it hit his back, but he kept running. His paws pressed over the cut on his stomach that would not stop bleeding. He could feel blood dripping down his cheeks. The cuts badly stung, but he forced himself to ignore them.  
He heard a shout from behind. The next thing he knew, he had fallen under the weight of Golb.   
The other guard cats gathered around him like lions who had taken down their prey and were coming in for the feast. Mistoffelees could feel their sharp claws sinking into his flesh. He cried out in pain as he felt deep cuts being made all over his body. He shielded his face with his arms, but could still feel their claws slash his cheeks and forehead.   
Not only would they swipe their claws through his skin, but they'd dig their fingers deep into the cuts and rip them open exposing as much flesh as they could.  
Once, the magical cat dared to open his eyes.   
All he could see was blood.   
His blood.   
The brown toms' claws dripped with it.   
Their fur was splattered with it.   
Drops of it flew through the air.   
His body was a mass of it.   
He couldn't bare to look. It only made the pain worse. He closed his eyes as tight as he could.  
Someone scratched his face. Their claws went clear through his cheek and he could feel the sharp points with his tongue before they were ripped away.   
Now he could taste the blood.   
It filled his mouth.   
He spat it out.  
How long could they continue?   
How long WOULD they continue?"  
How long could he survive it?  
Misto's cries began to grow weaker until they were no more than whimpers. He could barely breathe. He could barely move.  
  
"Enough!" he heard Vor shout.  
  
The guard cats looked up to see their leader standing above them.  
  
"What do you mean enough?" asked Layf, as he and the others got to their feet. "It's still alive."  
  
"Not for long."   
  
Vor held up the broken bottle clutched in his paw. Mistoffelees could not see it. He had somehow ended up on his stomach in a pool of blood. He did not have the strength to roll over. Vor rolled him over with his foot. He knelt down and waved the bottle menacingly in front of his face.  
  
"We said that if you were still here when we returned then we would kill you. A guard cat never goes back on his word. You should've left when you had the chance."  
  
Quick as lightning, he grabbed Misto by the arm and jammed the broken glass into his wrist. Blood spewed from the cut. Misto cried out in agony. The guard cats laughed as Vor did the same to his other wrist. Then he threw the bottle to the ground and rose to his feet.   
  
"Come on," he said to his gang. "Let's get out of here."  
  
"Aw, can't we stay and watch it bleed?" whined Tak.  
  
Vor shook his head in disgust.  
  
"Look at yourselves. We have to get cleaned up before someone sees us."  
  
The guard cats agreed when they saw their fur spattered with blood.  
  
"Besides, we weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow remember?"  
  
"Hey, that's right!" said Golb.  
  
The guard cats each expressed their agreement and started out of the clearing.  
Misto watched them leave. Through blurred vision, he could see two of them still standing over him. He couldn't see who. They all looked the same anyway. But, he could tell by their voices that they were Golb and Layf.  
  
"What do you think?" asked the latter.  
  
Golb shook his head.  
  
"Looks like a pollicle attack to me," he answered.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought."  
  
The toms looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
"Come on," said Golb.  
  
He put an arm around his comrade's shoulder and they started on their way to catch up with the others.   
  
Misto looked around to see that all the guard cats had left. He was completely alone in his clearing. Blood dripped from the cuts on his face into his eyes. He tried to wipe it away but only made it worse as his paws were also heavily coated with the red liquid. He stared at the cuts on his wrists.  
Suddenly, the truth hit him, and hard. The guard cats had carried out their threat. They had killed him just like they said they would. They had cut his wrists and left him to die. He may as well be dead at that moment. There was no one around who could help him. Even if there was someone, there was nothing they could do.   
He was alone,  
helpless,   
dead.  
He began to wonder why he had not left the junkyard when the guard cats told him to. Would it have been so difficult? His life would've been lonely and miserable, but at least he'd have one. Were the last few days he had spent in his home really worth dying for?  
Mistoffelees began to cough as blood filled his windpipe. He painfully rolled onto his side and spat out the bitter liquid.  
If he had left, what would he have had to live for? He would've had neither friends nor a family. Not even a place that he could call home. He never would've been able to see Victoria or Jemima again.  
Jemima.  
Poor Jemima.  
He would never get a chance to tell her how much he loved her. She would never know. He had been a terrible mate to her during the past few days anyway. He had barely said anything and would turn away from her if she asked what was wrong.  
Maybe she was better off without him.  
Same with Victoria.  
Maybe the whole tribe was better off without him.  
He never did much anyway. What good was he for except to entertain them with his magic?  
Mistoffelees groaned. Every move he made sent pain shooting through his body. He wished death would come quicker. It must be better than this.  
He saw something not too far away from him. An object of some sort. He painfully reached out and grabbed it. It was the broken bottle that Vor had used to slit his wrists. It was the weapon that had been used to kill him.  
This could be his answer.  
The tuxedo suddenly realized that this bottle could end his pain. He could slit his throat and that would be the end of it.  
No more pain.  
No more suffering.  
He stared at the bottle in his paw.  
No.  
He couldn't do it.  
He WOULDN'T do it.  
He didn't care how much pain he was in.   
He would not give up.  
He would not kill himself.  
To relieve himself of the temptation, Mistoffelees threw that bottle as far away as he could. The sudden movement caused him immense pain and he couldn't help but let out a weak cry.  
That was it.  
He laid down his head,   
closed his eyes,   
and waited for death to relieve him.  
  



	8. Discovered

(author's note) All right, I know that last chapter was pretty gruesome. That's the reason for the rating.   
Anyway, thanx Phantom and Teazer Kitten for your help with the Tugger/Medica scene in this chapter! You both are brilliant! =^.".^=  
  
  
The Rum Tum Tugger had just returned from one of his visits with Medica. Pictures of her still floated in his mind. He found himself taking the long way through the junkyard to the tribe's clearing, but he didn't care. He wanted to think about the lovely calico a little bit more, before he would have to turn his attention to the younger queens of the tribe.   
She was so beautiful. He was lucky to have found her. They had met by accident really. He had been walking down the street when he saw something move in an alley. His hunter's instinct kicked into gear and he went to investigate. He moved as quietly as he could. He came upon a mouse that was scuttling around looking for scraps. The next thing he knew, a calico queen pounced on it, but the rodent managed to avoid her claws.  
  
"Pollicle!" she exclaimed as she landed with a thump on the ground.   
  
She watched the mouse run away from her. She practically jumped when a tall stranger pounced on it and killed it with a single blow of his paw. He picked it up and politely gave it to her.  
  
"I would've caught it," she said, snatching it away.  
  
The tom simply smiled and held up both his paws as if to say, 'of course, whatever you say.'  
She had actually seen this tom a few times before. She always thought that he was handsome with his sleek black fur, his leopard spots and his long mane. But, she never got along very well with owned cats, so she kept her distance.  
She gobbled up the mouse in only a few bites and then began to lick her paws clean. She glanced at the tom who was still watching her.   
  
"Well, what do you want?" she sneered.  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Do you at all care what I want?"  
  
"Is that some kind of joke?"   
  
"Take it any way you want."  
  
The queen wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want this tom to think that she was like all the other queens who would fall in a dead faint at his feet. She purposefully acted as though she didn't care in the least that he was there, but he was beating her at her own game.  
  
"I want to know what the pollicle you are waiting for," she said indignantly.  
  
The tom smiled again.  
  
"A thank you maybe."  
  
"Thank you," she said.  
  
Only then did she actually look into his eyes. He was so handsome. He smiled at her.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
The queen felt her face grow hot and quickly looked away.  
  
"Not bad for a house cat," she commented.  
  
"May I ask what a house has to do with hunting?"  
  
"Your humans feed you don't they?"  
  
"Of course my human feeds me, but I prefer my food scared and running."   
  
The calico smiled. She was really beginning to like this tom.  
  
"What's your name?" she asked.  
  
He gave her that gorgeous smile that she was becoming very attached to.  
  
"My human calls me Daniel. My name is Rum Tum Tugger."  
  
"Rum Tum Tugger, I like it."  
  
The queen bit her lip. She couldn't believe that she'd actually SAID that!  
  
"May I have the honor of knowing your name?" he asked.  
  
"Medica."  
  
"Medica, only fitting that such a lovely name belong to such a lovely queen."  
  
Medica blushed as the tom named Rum Tum Tugger took her paw in his and kissed it.  
  
That was almost three weeks ago. He had gone to see her everyday since then. Rum Tum Tugger smiled at the thought.  
Medica.  
The beautiful green-eyed calico.  
How he loved her!  
  
"One of these days," he thought. "I'm gunna talk her into joining the tribe and spend the rest of my life with her."  
  
It was strange. He always flirted with the queens of the tribe, but he was never serious about any of them. He didn't think that he'd ever be in a serious relationship with a queen. But, if this wasn't a serious relationship, the Maine coon didn't know what was. One thing he was certain about. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this queen.  
  
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he kicked a small, but hard object in his path. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and was pretty surprised by this snap back to reality.  
  
"Whoa!" he said, jumping back.  
  
He looked down to see a broken bottle covered with red stuff.  
  
"What the Heavyside?" he mumbled.  
  
He picked up the bottle and studied it.   
What was the stuff that covered it? Ketchup? Why would a bottle covered with ketchup be in the junkyard? A glass bottle of that. He didn't know about other humans, but his was very big on recycling.  
Curiously, he sniffed the dry liquid.  
  
"Everlasting Cat!" he exclaimed.   
  
The red stuff was definitely not ketchup. It actually smelled like. . .blood.  
Rum Tum Tugger scanned the clearing that he was in. He saw a black figure on the ground not too far away. He ran toward it.  
He was only a few feet away when he stopped short.  
  
"Pollicle Heavyside," he whispered.  
  
The figure was that of a cat.  
Smaller than himself.  
A tom.  
A tuxedo.  
It was his friend Mistoffelees!  
He looked dead. He was covered with cruel looking cuts, most of which still bled. His white chest was now completely red, coated with blood. His whole body was coated with blood.   
His eyes were closed.  
Tugger couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.  
There was something wrapped around his leg, just above his knee. A strip of leather. It looked like a collar.  
Rum Tum Tugger bent down next to the figure of his friend and began to remove it.  
The minute his fingers touched him, Mistoffelees jerked his leg away.  
  
"No," he said weakly.  
  
He struggled to move away from the Maine coon, but it was obvious that he did not have the strength to do so.  
  
"Get away from me!" he rasped. "You've killed me, what more do you want?"  
  
"Misto, calm down. It's me, the Tugger, your buddy, your pal."  
  
The magical cat said something that could not be understood. Tugger gently lifted his head and wiped the blood away from his eyes. Misto stopped squirming when he clearly saw his friend.  
  
"Tugger," he managed to say.  
  
The Maine coon laid the tuxedo back down, and again started to remove the leather strip from his leg.  
  
"Tugger. . .I. . .they. . ." stammered Misto, but he could not finish the sentence.  
  
Rum Tum Tugger finally managed to unbuckle the collar and slowly removed the spikes from the tuxedo's flesh. He stared at it in surprise. He recognized it.  
  
"Misto." he said. "Who did this to you?"  
  
Mistoffelees tried to speak, but nothing came out.  
  
"Misto, try to tell me. Who was it?"  
  
"Th. . .guard. . .cats," stammered Mistoffelees.  
  
Rum Tum Tugger bit his lip. He knew that the collar looked familiar. He wrapped it twice around his wrist and fastened the buckle. He would need to show it to the others as proof.  
  
"Don't worry Misto," he said. "You'll be fine."  
  
The magical cat shook his head.  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes," answered Tugger. "I'll get you back to the tribe and you'll be fine."  
  
"No," repeated Mistoffelees.  
  
He lifted one of his wrists for the Maine coon to see.  
  
"I'm. . .already. . .dead."  
  
Tugger held Misto's paw and stared at the cut. A look of fiery determination came to his eyes.  
  
"No," he said.  
  
He lifted the magical cat into his arms and started toward the tribe's clearing as quickly as he could.  
  



	9. Hopeless?

Jemima sat alone on the tire thinking about her mate. Why didn't he tell her what was troubling him, whatever it was? She was sure that she could help him if he'd only trust her.   
He did trust her, didn't he?  
Perhaps he didn't.   
Maybe that's why he hadn't told her anything.   
He didn't trust her.  
What was a relationship without trust?  
He never had a problem trusting her before.  
Or had he?  
The jellicle queen couldn't help but wonder if he was holding anything else back. How many secrets did he hide from her under that aloof personality? Why did he think he had to keep them from her?  
That lead her right back to the first question.   
Did he trust her?  
The more she thought about it, the surer she was that their relationship was falling apart.  
  
"Jemima," she heard a voice say.  
  
She looked up to see a white queen coming toward her.  
  
"Hello Victoria."  
  
"How are you doing?" asked the queen as she joined her friend on the tire.  
  
"Okay, I suppose."  
  
"Has Misto talked to you yet?"  
  
Jemima shook her head.  
  
"Why? Was he going to? I wish he would. I need to say something to him."  
  
Jemima turned to her friend.  
  
"Victoria, I've decided to tell him that we shouldn't be mates anymore."  
  
The white queen gasped.  
  
"Oh no Jem, please don't do that! It would break his heart!"  
  
"I think it's the only wise thing to do."  
  
Victoria took her friend's paws in hers.  
  
"Jemima listen to me. A little while ago, I talked to Misto myself. He's sorry that he upset you. He told me that he could never be angry at you. He told me that you have done absolutely nothing wrong. He told me that he loves you more than the whole world times a million!"  
  
"He told you that?"  
  
"Yes, he told me that and, any minute now, he's going to come and tell you himself. You and him have a beautiful relationship Jem. He loves you and you love him. How often does that happen? Please don't throw it away. Give him a chance."  
  
Jemima smiled. There were tears in her eyes.  
  
"All right, I will. Thank you Vic."  
  
The white queen hugged her friend. Then, she left the clearing and the junkyard and headed to her human's house for dinner.  
Jemima couldn't help but laugh. She was so easily persuaded. It was like she was just waiting for someone to come and talk some sense into her.  
Perhaps, she never wanted to leave Mistoffelees in the first place. She only thought she did. How silly she had been.   
Now, everything would be fine. She and Misto would talk about the problem, find a way to fix it, and it would be as though it had never happened. That's what they had always done before, that's what they would do now. Part of the reason that their love was so strong. She just needed to be reminded about it. She would never again forget. She would never doubt Mistoffelees again till death do them part.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a shout.  
  
"Jellyorum, help!"  
  
It was the Rum Tum Tugger!   
Why was he calling for Jellyorum? Why did he sound so frantic?  
She looked up to see a crowd of jellicle cats in one section of the clearing. In the center of them, she could see the head of the Maine coon yelling at them to get out of the way. She stood up on the tire to get a better look, but had no luck at all.  
Jellyorum jumped up from her seat on the car bumper with Jennyanydots when she heard her name.  
  
"Tugger? What's wrong?" she called.   
  
She knew that the Rum Tum Tugger only called for help if there was a serious emergency.  
  
"For goodness sake, give him some room!"  
  
The jellicles parted so that the Maine coon could get to Jellyorum.  
  
"Oh my word!" she gasped.  
  
Jemima strained to see what was going on, but she couldn't. She knew that something horrible had happened. A few of the jellicles shot worried glances in her direction.  
  
"Get him inside the car quickly!" ordered Jellyorum.  
  
Jemima watched as Tugger followed the calico into the car. It was her first clear view of them.   
He was carrying something in his arms.  
It was another cat.  
Jemima's heart seemed to stop beating. The color drained from her face.  
It was Mistoffelees!  
  
=^.".^=  
  
Munkustrap was just dozing off on the blanket when he heard a shout. The next thing he knew, Jellyorum had entered the car.  
  
"Move Munkustrap! We need the blanket!"  
  
Confused and annoyed, the gray tabby got to his feet and stepped away.  
  
"Lay him down!" ordered the calico.  
  
Munkustrap saw his brother, Rum Tum Tugger, enter the car with something in his arms.  
  
"What the Heavyside is going. . ."  
  
"Shut up Munkustrap!"  
  
"Tugger!" snapped Jellyorum. "Watch your mouth!"  
  
The Maine coon started to argue, then thought better of it.  
  
"Sorry bro," he muttered.  
  
Munkustrap had not heard him. He had just now realized what his brother was holding. He stared at the scene going on in front of him with wide eyes. Tugger laid the limp, bloody figure of Mistoffelees down on the blanket.   
The magical cat was barely breathing.  
His eyes were closed.  
  
"His wrists," said the Maine coon.  
  
Jellyorum lifted one of the tuxedo's paws and examined his wrist. She shook her head.  
  
"I don't know Tugger. It might be too late."  
  
"You've got to do something!" said Rum Tum Tugger, practically shouting. "Your human is a Doctor for Heavyside sake! You know about this stuff! Tell me what to do!"  
  
The calico thought for a second.  
  
"Tugger," she said at last. "Bring me as many clean rags as you can get your leopard paws on! Munkustrap, stand outside and keep order. Tell the others to make room for Tugger. Don't let anyone else in!"  
  
Tugger quickly rose to obey his orders, but the gray tabby seemed stunned and did not budge.  
  
"Munkustrap!" snapped the queen. "Get moving!"  
  
He nodded and ran out the door.  
Jellyorum sighed deeply. She was three years the tabby's senior. She'd helped to raise him. She was the only one who ever dared give him orders, especially in a crisis situation like this.  
She looked down at the magical cat. She had never seen anything this bad before. She had, on occasion, heard her owner talk about it. Of human patients who came to a place called the ER all ripped up and beaten. But, the calico had never seen it for herself. She wasn't entirely sure what to do. She never had to treat anything worse than a single cut.  
She shook her head.   
This was no time to worry. She had to think clearly and stay calm. Mistoffelees' life depended on it.  
Jellyorum rolled up the blanket under the magical cat's feet so that they were elevated. She wasn't sure how much of a difference it would make at this point, but it couldn't hurt.  
Misto suddenly began to cough.  
His eyes opened and he looked around.  
  
"W-where am I?" he asked weakly.  
  
"You're in the car with Jellyorum."  
  
"Jemima. . .where's Jemima?"  
  
"She's outside, Mistoffelees."  
  
The magical cat opened his mouth to say more, but no words came out.  
  
"Don't try to speak," said Jellyorum gently. "You are going to be just fine."  
  
As she said this, the tuxedo closed his eyes and slipped back into unconsciousness.  
The calico bit her lip. Why did she just lie like that? She was not sure at all that he would be fine. In fact, she highly doubted it. She did not know how long his wrist had been open before the Tugger brought him there. He had lost so much blood already. Where was the Rum Tum Tugger with those rags?  
As if in answer to her question, the Maine coon entered the car, his arms full of clean white rags which he dropped next to the calico. Jellyorum quickly wrapped two rags around each of the magical cat's wrists. She then bound them together.  
  
"Hold his wrists above his chest," she said.  
  
The Tugger obeyed. Jellyorum began to clean and wrap the rest of the magical cat's wounds. They seemed to be everywhere and the worse ones were still bleeding. The calico wished that she had more paws.  
Just then the two jellicles heard a commotion from outside the car.  
  
"Let me in!" demanded a desperate female voice.  
  
"Who is that Munkustrap?" called Jellyorum.  
  
The gray tabby leaned in with the news that Jemima was outside insisting that she be allowed to enter.   
Jellyorum sighed. She knew that this was a site that Jemima probably shouldn't see, but the young queen always assisted her with medical emergencies and she needed her help.  
  
"Let her in," she said at last.  
  
Jemima rushed inside the car.  
  
"Misto!" she gasped. "Tugger, what happened to him?"  
  
"That's not important," answered Jellyorum. "Right now, we need to concentrate on saving his life."  
  
The young queen nodded and got to work helping the calico bandage her mate's wounds. It went by faster with four paws working. And they worked hard. In no time at all, the queens had finished. Rum Tum Tugger gave Jemima his place and began to clean the blood off his own fur with one of the spare rags. No way was he going to lick the stuff.  
  
"There," said Jellyorum. "Now all we can do is wait and pray."  
  
Jemima gently kissed her mate's paws. Tears filled her glass green eyes.  
  
"Don't worry Misto, you're gunna be okay."  
  
"Jemima," said the calico in a serious voice. "He's lost quite a bit of blood and his wrists were cut. I don't know if. . ."  
  
"No! Don't say it! He's going to live! I know it!"  
  
Jellyorum shook her head.   
  
"I sincerely hope so dear. Sometimes I wish that I had magical powers too. Then maybe I could magically heal him."  
  
The Rum Tum Tugger's ears suddenly perked up.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I said that I wish I could magically heal him," came the calico's puzzled reply.  
  
The Tugger snapped his fingers.  
  
"That's it!"  
  
"What's it?" asked the queens.  
  
"I'll explain later. If he wakes up, tell him I said he is going to be fine!"  
  
"Tugger. . ."  
  
Jellyorum never got to finish her sentence.  
The Maine coon had already dashed out of the car.  
  



	10. Hope

Rum Tum Tugger dashed down the street to the lamp post. He ignored the queens who called out to him. He was looking for Medica. He had to find her and fast. Only she could save his friend's life.  
He turned the corner, the lamp post came into view. He ran up to it and desperately looked around. He saw the calico entering an alley not far away.  
He called out to her.  
  
"Medica!"  
  
The calico looked around when she heard her name.  
  
"Medica," he shouted again, running toward her.  
  
Finally, she saw him. Her green eyes lit up.  
  
"Hi Tugger!"  
  
Her smile slowly faded. She sensed that there was something wrong.  
The Maine coon finally reached her.  
  
"Medica, I need your help," he panted. "It's an emergency."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"There's no time. Come on, I'll explain on the way."  
  
He reached for her paw, but the calico stepped out of his reach.  
  
"Tell me what's going on," she demanded.  
  
Tugger rolled his eyes. They really needed to hurry.  
  
"One of my friends from the tribe is hurt bad. He needs help fast."  
  
He again reached for Medica's paw, but she stepped away again. Tears were slowly filling her eyes.  
  
"Rum Tum Tugger!" she practically shouted. "I trusted you when I showed you my powers. I thought that you would keep them a secret!"  
  
"Medi. . ."  
  
"You promised that you would!" sobbed the queen. "I thought that you were different from everyone else, but you're just the same. You only want me for my powers!"  
  
"Medica you know that's not true. I love you more than anything. YOU, not your powers."  
  
"Then you wouldn't ask me to use them."  
  
Tugger took both of the calico's paws and looked into her eyes.  
  
"Please Medica," he pleaded, something he'd never done before. "At least come with me. If you could only see him I know you'd change your mind."  
  
"I don't even know this tom."  
  
"Maybe you've heard of him. His name is Magical Mr. . ."  
  
"He's a magical cat?" shouted the queen.  
  
Her voice had suddenly become angry and she pulled away from the Maine coon.  
  
"Then he can heal himself!"  
  
"No Medica, he can't."   
"Why not?"  
  
Rum Tum Tugger bit his lip. Precious minutes were slipping past.  
  
"Well for one thing, he does not have the power to heal. Even if he did he would not be able to use it. Not in the condition he's in right now."  
  
Medica looked down.  
  
"Please, Medica."  
  
Tugger again took her paws in his.  
  
"Please."  
  
The stray queen sighed.  
  
"Fine," she said quietly.  
  
"Thank you!"   
  
Tugger gave her a quick kiss and they ran off.  
  
=^.".^=  
  
Tugger brought the queen to the junkyard. Still grasping her paw in his, they dashed to the tribe's clearing.  
Medica got a brief look at all the strange cats who stared at her. They seemed anxious about something, but none of them looked at her with any hint of hostility. This made her feel a little better.  
They ran through the clearing and straight to an old car.  
A tall gray tabby stood in front of the entrance.  
  
"Move Munkustrap!" said Tugger.  
  
The tabby, whose name was Munkustrap, shook his head.  
  
"Sorry bro," he said. "Only Vic and Jem can go in there right now."  
  
"So he and Tugger are brothers," Medica thought to herself.   
That was strange. She didn't see any resemblance at all.  
  
She said nothing as the Maine coon argued with the gray tabby.  
Finally, Tugger had enough. He pushed his brother out of the way, grabbed Medica's paw and they entered the car.  
The calico gasped when her eyes rested on the magical cat. Tugger was right. It was bad. His body was almost entirely wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. His wrists were bound together and held up by a queen. She was smaller than herself. She looked barely over a year. But then, Medica could tell by her collar that she was owned. Surely her humans kept her pampered and beautiful.  
She breifly looked up at them when they entered. Her glass green eyes were flooded with tears and yet, she smiled.  
  
"He told me that he loves me," she said. "And that he'll always be with me no matter what happens."  
  
She buried her face in the tom's bandaged chest and began to sob.  
The Rum Tum Tugger gave Medica's paw a squeeze, then he got down next to her. He wrapped an arm gently around her.  
  
"He's right," he said kindly. "Nothing will ever keep you two apart. You love each other more than anything. Remember what Demeter says, 'Where there is love, there is also miracles.'"  
  
Medica felt tears coming to her own eyes. This was a side of the Rum Tum Tugger that she'd never seen before. Her heart went out to the young queen and the tom who apparently was her mate. She had to help him.   
She wanted to help him.  
  
"Rum Tum Tugger! What is the meaning of all this?" demanded an angry voice.  
  
An older calico walked past Medica and stood between her and the Maine coon.  
  
"Who is she? Why is she here?"  
  
"Breathe Jellyorum!" said the Tugger, rising to his feet.  
  
He calmly walked past the older calico known as Jellyorum and stood beside the stray queen.  
  
"This is Medica. We met a few weeks ago. Medica this is Jellyorum and Jemima."  
  
The jellicle queens nodded to her. She nodded back.  
  
"What's his name?" she asked, pointing to the tuxedo.  
  
"His name is Mistoffelees," answered Tugger. "He and Jemima are mates."  
  
Medica knew that already, but she didn't want to seem impolite and so she simply nodded.  
  
"Medica," said the other calico. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I think you are very nice, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave the car."  
  
"Miss Jellyorum, you don't understand. . ."  
  
"I understand dear, you are here with Rum Tum Tugger and that is wonderful, but he also has to leave."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"Medica."  
  
Jellyorum again interrupted the stray queen. She took her by both paws and lead her to a corner.  
  
"Mistoffelees has been very badly injured. He has cuts all over his body. Some of them have yet to stop bleeding. On top of that, both of his wrists were cut. Jemima is optimistic, but the truth is that he does not have much longer to live. He and Jemima should be alone right now."  
  
Medica waited until the older calico had finished before she began to speak.  
  
"I can help him," she said.  
  
Jellyorum stared at her.  
  
"My dear, this is no time for jokes."  
  
"I'm not joking."  
  
Medica leaned in closer to the calico.  
  
"I have healing powers," she whispered.  
  
Jellyorum shot her a look.  
  
"Certainly not my dear Medica!"  
  
"It's true," said the Rum Tum Tugger who had walked up to them.   
  
"No! It's impossible!"  
  
Medica looked at the Maine coon for an answer.  
  
"We can prove it to you," he said. "If you'll let us remove one of Misto's bandages. . ."  
  
"That is out of the question," interrupted the calico. "That would make the bleeding worse."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"Wait Medica," said the Tugger. "It's no use. Jellyorum is a very stubborn queen."  
  
Jellyorum shot him a look. The Maine coon continued.  
  
"She will not believe anything unless she sees it with her own eyes."  
  
When he finished, the Rum Tum Tugger extended his claws and swiped them through the flesh on his arm. He clenched his teeth as the cuts began to bleed.  
  
"Rum Tum Tugger, what are you doing?" said the shocked Jellyorum.  
  
She examined the scratches.  
  
"They're pretty deep," she said. "Fortunately, I still have some bandages."  
  
"I don't need them," said the Maine coon.  
  
Before the calico could say anything else, he held his arm out to Medica. The stray queen placed her paw over the cuts. Tugger flinched but did not make a sound.  
When Medica pulled her paw away, the blood was gone.  
Surprised, Jellyorum examined the Tugger's arm.  
The cut had completely vanished.   
There was not even a scar.   
It was as though it had never been there.  
The calico was speechless.  
Neither Rum Tum Tugger nor Medica waited for her to respond before they hurried past her.  
Medica got down next to the magical cat, opposite from Jemima.  
  
"Jemima," she said. "I need to. . ."  
  
Before she could finish, Mistoffelees began to cough. Blood flooded his mouth. Jemima picked up a rag to wipe it away when Tugger stopped her.  
  
"Wait," he said. "Watch this."  
  
Confused, the jellicle queen looked at Medica. She had placed her paw over the magical cat's mouth.  
In a few seconds, he stopped coughing.  
Medica lifted her paw.  
The blood was gone.  
She covered the large scratch on his cheek.  
It also disappeared.  
In less than two minutes, Misto's face was again clean and white. Rid of all the cuts that had once been there.  
Jemima rubbed his cheek.  
There was no doubt about it, the scratches were gone.  
They had been healed.  
She looked up at Medica. Tears again filled her eyes. She reached over her mate and hugged the calico as tightly as she could.  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
Medica smiled.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Jemima quickly removed the bandages from her mate's wrists. Medica took one of his paws and pressed her paw over the cut.   
In a second, it was healed.  
Medica did the same with his other wrist.   
  
"It's good that he's asleep," said the calico. She did not want to use the word unconscious for fear that it would upset Jemima.  
  
"Why is that?" asked the young queen.  
  
"Because the healing process is rather painful."  
  
"No kidding," muttered the Maine coon.  
  
Medica laughed.  
  
"Oh yeah, Tugger knows."  
  
Jemima looked at the tom's embarrassed expression and giggled.  
  
In no time at all, every last wound on the magical cat's body had been healed.  
  
"He ought to wake up soon," said Medica, rising to her feet.  
  
Jemima also rose. She hugged her new friend.  
  
"Thank you so much. If you hadn't come. . ."  
  
"Don't worry about it," said Medica kindly. "He's going to be fine. What is it that humans always say? You will live happily ever after."  
  
Jemima smiled. Her eyes were glistening with tears. She hugged the calico again.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Yes, thank you Medica," said another voice.  
  
The calico looked up to see Jellyorum smiling at her.  
  
"I'm so sorry for the way I behaved. I was rude and unkind. Will you forgive me?"  
  
Medica smiled.  
  
"Of course Miss Jellyorum."  
  
"Oh please, call me Jelly," said the older calico. "Miss Jellyorum makes me feel so old."  
  
Medica giggled and hugged Jellyorum.  
  
"I should be going now," she said at last.  
  
"Oh must you?" asked Jemima. "You only just got here. The other jellicles would love to meet you. Misto will want to thank you when he wakes up."  
  
Medica smiled and shook her head.  
  
"No thank you Jemima. I really should leave."  
  
"You are always welcome here," said the older calico.  
  
"You are very kind."  
  
Medica turned to the Rum Tum Tugger.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" he asked.  
  
The stray queen nodded.  
  
"Do you mind if we tell the other jellicles about your power?"  
  
Medica thought for a little while.  
  
"We won't if you don't want us to," said the Tugger.   
  
The jellicle queens nodded.  
  
"It's alright," said the calico. "You can tell them if you want. As long as they don't mob me like the other cats did, I don't mind."  
  
Tugger smiled.  
  
"Don't worry. The jellicles won't do anything like that. I'll be sure of it."  
  
"Goodbye Jelly and Jemima," said the stray queen. "It was nice to meet you."  
  
"It was a pleasure to meet you," answered the jellicles.  
  
Tugger held out his paw. Medica took it and the two felines exited the car.  
  
Jellyorum left the car a few minutes later to tell the tribe what had happened.  
Jemima knelt down next to her mate.  
  
"I knew you would be okay Misto," she said. "I knew it."  
  
She knelt down and kissed him.  
Mistoffelees lifted one of his paws, placed it on the back of her head and returned her kiss.  
  
"I didn't think I'd ever be able to do that again," he said.   
  
He was surprised at how easy it was to speak and how strong his voice sounded.  
  
Jemima smiled.  
  
"Well, you did. And you'll be able to for a long time."  
  
Misto looked at her confusedly. He suddenly realized that the pain was gone.   
All of it.  
The next thing he noticed was that his wrists were no longer bound together.  
He lifted one paw and looked at it in amazement.  
The cuts on his wrists and fingers were gone.  
Vanished.  
Completely healed.  
He lifted his other paw to see the same thing.  
He sat up.   
His strength had magically returned to him.  
  
"Am I dreaming?" he asked when he saw that the cuts on his arms and legs were gone also.  
  
Jemima shook her head.  
  
"You are wide awake."  
  
Mistoffelees believed it, but he certainly didn't understand it.   
He remembered the fight with the guard cats.   
He remembered the intense pain.  
He remembered the blood.  
Could that have been a dream?  
In a corner of the car, he saw a pile of rags that were stained with blood. They had once been his bandages.   
It was not a dream.  
But, if he was not dreaming, how was it possible?  
Jemima seemed to read his mind.   
  
"Remember the queen that Rum Tum Tugger goes to see all the time?"  
  
The magical cat nodded.  
  
"Well it just so happens that she has healing powers. She came here with Tugger and healed you from head to foot. I can't believe you slept through the whole thing."  
  
Misto shook his head in bewilderment.  
  
"Neither can I," he said. "Where is she now?"  
  
"She left a little while ago."  
  
"What? A queens comes here, saves my life and I don't even get to thank her for it?"  
  
Jemima shrugged.  
  
"Jelly and I asked her to stay, but she insisted on leaving."  
  
"Maybe I can still catch her," said the tuxedo.   
  
He started to get up, but Jemima pushed him back down.  
  
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You are going to stay right here and rest."  
  
Mistoffelees smiled as she made him lay back down. He was grateful that she had forgiven him for how he had behaved the past few days and was not about to argue with her now. He would have another chance to thank the queen that saved him. Perhaps he could go with Rum Tum Tugger to meet her sometime. He just needed to let her know how grateful he was to her. He owed her his life after all.   
But for now, he would simply rest.   
He took one of Jemima's paws and kissed it.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you, Misto."  
  
She laid her head on his chest.  
Mistoffelees closed his eyes and listened to the beautiful sound of her purr.  
  
  



	11. Determination

(author's note) Thanx everyone for your reviews! I'm sure by now you're ready for me to start wrapping it up and have everyone live happily ever after (so am I). Thanx for sticking with me this far! Enjoy the 11th chapter! (eleven whole chapters, I have way too much time on my paws:-P) =^.".^=  
  
  
A little while later, the Rum Tum Tugger reentered the car. Jemima looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"He's asleep," she said.  
  
"Should I leave?"  
  
"No, stay. I want to ask you something."  
  
The Maine coon sat down on Misto's left, opposite from Jemima.   
  
"Now that he's going to be okay," continued the queen. "I want you to tell me what happened."  
  
"Me too," said a voice.  
  
The two jellicles looked up to see that Munkustrap had entered the car. He took a seat at the foot of the blanket.  
  
"I don't know exactly what happened," started Tugger. "I just found him on the ground and brought him here. But, he told me who is responsible."  
  
"Who?" demanded the gray tabby. "Was it Macavity?"  
  
Tugger shook his head.  
  
"Not even close. It was the guard cats."  
  
Jemima gasped. Munkustrap stared at him with a questioning look.  
  
"Vor told me that they wouldn't be back from their vacation until tomorrow."  
  
The Maine coon shrugged.  
  
"They obviously came back early so that we wouldn't suspect them. I have proof."  
  
Rum Tum Tugger, removed the spiked collar from around his wrist and handed it to his brother. Munkustrap's expression hardened. He recognized it immediately as one of the guard cats.' His shoulders sagged and his eyes turned their focus to the floor. He suddenly remembered what the magical cat had told him only a few days ago. Or at least what he'd tried to tell him. It was the truth. He was not lying. The tabby held a paw to his forehead.  
  
"What have you done you idiot?" he thought to himself.  
  
"I always thought they were friendly," said Jemima, still rather shocked. "And then they do this. No warning. Totally by surprise."  
  
"Not totally," said Mistoffelees.  
  
No one had noticed that he had opened his eyes and was listening to them. His remark confused them.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Jemima, helping her mate to sit up.  
  
"They told me they would do this."  
  
"They did?" asked an equally stunned Rum Tum Tugger. "When?"  
  
"Just before they left. They came to my clearing and said that if I was still here when they got back, they'd kill me."  
  
"So that's what's been bothering you?" asked Jemima.  
  
Misto nodded slowly.  
For a while, the interior of the car was dominated by an uncomfortable silence. No one knew exactly how long it lasted, but it was broken when the jellicle queen looked up at her mate.  
  
"Why didn't you tell anybody?" she demanded.  
  
Mistoffelees said nothing. His eyes shot toward the gray tabby.  
  
"Misto," scolded the queen. "We could've helped you! We could've stopped them! You should have told us! If you told us this never would've happened!"  
  
Misto looked down.   
  
"I didn't want to worry you or anybody else," he said quietly.  
  
Before Jemima could respond, Munkustrap spoke up.  
  
"Tell them, Misto."  
  
All three jellicles looked at the tabby.  
  
"I deserve it."  
  
"What?" asked the queen.  
  
"Misto did tell someone. He told me."  
  
"And what did you do about it bro?" asked the Maine coon.  
  
Munkustrap looked at him gravely.  
  
"I did absolutely nothing. I didn't even believe him. I called him a liar. I scolded him like a kitten. I told him not to repeat what he'd said to anybody."  
  
Jemima turned to her mate.  
  
"Misto, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have blown up like that."  
  
"It's okay," said Mistoffelees, gently kissing her paw. "You were right."  
  
"But I was wrong," voiced Munkustrap  
  
Rum Tum Tugger sneered.  
  
"Like Heavyside you were!"  
  
The tabby ignored his brother and continued.  
  
"I never should've acted the way I did. I must've been insane. I never should've presumed that you were lying. Especially since the guard cats are practically strangers and you've been a loyal and truthful member of this tribe for more than a year. I betrayed your trust. I'm just as guilty as those guard cats. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"  
  
Mistoffelees smiled and held out his paw to Munkustrap.  
  
"All is forgiven and forgotten," he said.  
  
It took a few seconds for the magical cat's words to calculate in the mind of the gray tabby. When they finally did, he smiled and shook Misto's paw.  
  
"Thanks," he said.  
  
The four jellicles turned their heads when they heard a loud voice from outside the car.  
  
"Victoria, you're back!"  
  
It was Etcetera.  
  
"Wait till you hear what happened to Misto while you were gone!"  
  
Jemima smiled.  
  
"Sounds like Vic is back from lunch. I'd better make sure Etcetera doesn't spice up the story."  
  
The toms nodded. Everyone knew that Etcetera had a habit of exaggerating things.   
The queen stood and left the car.  
Munkustrap turned to the magical cat. His face and voice became serious.  
  
"I don't know if this is the time to discuss this, but the guard cats will be coming back tomorrow. I don't think they'll be expecting to see you."  
  
"That's the most intelligent thing you've said all day Munk!"  
  
"Shut up Tugger!"  
  
Even Munkustrap spoke like that when there was barely anyone around.  
At the mention of the guard cats, Misto's face hardened.  
He clenched his teeth.  
His eyes blazed with an angry fire.  
He said nothing.  
There was silence.  
Rum Tum Tugger could not understand what all the hesitation was about. To him, the solution was obvious.  
  
"When they get back, we'll kill them!" he said. "We'll rid the junkyard of those slimy murderers!"  
  
"They didn't exactly murder anyone," said Munkustrap.   
  
Tugger stared at him for a second or two.  
  
"What about attempted murder with near succession?"  
  
"That works."  
  
"So let's kill them!"  
  
"Wait!" Mistoffelees broke in.  
  
The brothers turned to him. His appearance startled them.   
His claws were extended.  
Electricity sparked from his finger tips.  
He was leaning forward.  
His head was slightly bowed and he glared at them through his eyebrows.  
His eyes had completely transformed.  
They had once been soft and brown with a small flame burning in them, but now the small flame had exploded into a wild bonfire.  
All hint of brown in his eyes had turned red.  
Blazing red!  
His jaw was clenched.  
The fur on the back of his neck stood on end making him look almost twice his actual size.  
He hissed as he spoke.  
Rum Tum Tugger had often wondered what is was like when a magical cat got angry. Really angry, not just mildly annoyed.   
Right now, Mistoffelees was furious!  
The Maine coon couldn't help but shudder as he looked at his friend who, at that moment, bore an amazing resemblance to a demon.  
  
"I want to deal with them myself," hissed the magical cat.  
  
Now, it was Munkustrap's turn to shudder.   
  
"Misto. . ." he started to say.   
  
The tuxedo could tell by his voice that the tabby was going to object. He hissed and the electricity in his fingers grew brighter.   
Munkustrap started and decided not to finish.  
  
"They tried to kill me!" hissed the magical cat. "They tried to drive me away from my home. They reduced to the lowest position a cat could ever be in. They regarded me as a deadly virus that they had to cure."  
  
The blaze in Misto's eyes grew steadily brighter. He clenched his fists, trying to control the sparks.  
  
"They ripped me apart and left me to die! They attacked me when I was alone! When I couldn't defend myself! Not only did they try to take my life, but they stole my pride as well! They humiliated me!"  
  
Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger could see the rage boiling inside the magical cat. They found themselves inching away from him. They knew that, as strong as it is, there's only so much pressure a volcano can stand before it blows.   
It wasn't very long before it did.  
With a roar like a lion, Mistoffelees leapt to his feet and shot a continuous stream of white lightning into the corner of the car.  
It was the brightest stream that either of the brothers had ever seen. So bright, they couldn't look directly at it without being blinded.  
It was hot.  
Very hot.  
The car suddenly felt like an oven.  
The walls were white from the glare of the electricity.  
Not just the walls, but the ceiling, the floor, the toms. Even Misto's black fur seemed to turn white.  
His eyes were blazing red, brighter than any fire.  
  
Then it was over.  
As quickly as it began.  
The two toms looked up.  
They saw Mistoffelees stomping out a fire that had started in the pile of rags that he'd used as a target.  
The brothers fought to catch their breaths.  
They had never seen anything like that before. The side of the vague and aloof magical cat that he never let show.  
Finally, the fire was out. Misto turned to the toms. The blaze in his eyes had extinguished. His forehead dripped with sweat and he also fought to catch his breath. Other than that, he looked his normal self.  
  
"And all because I happened to be a magical cat," he said gravely.  
  
The toms stared at him as if they did not understand. However, they knew exactly what he meant.  
  
"I didn't put it together at first," continued the tuxedo, taking his seat on the blanket. "I thought that I had done something to them. I thought it was personal, but no. It was only because I was born a magical cat. For that, they tried to kill me. They thought they were an even match for my power. Well, they've seen nothing!"  
  
The brothers suddenly switched from wanting to run and hide from the magical cat, to wanting to support him. They were beginning to absorb his energy.  
  
"Do you have a plan?" asked Munkustrap.  
  
Misto looked away and let out a frustrated sigh.   
Why did that tabby have to bother with details?   
He closed his eyes and thought.  
He looked back at the toms.  
  
"Yes, I do," he said. "But, I'm gunna need everyone's help."  
  
"Hey, you got it!" said the Rum Tum Tugger enthusiastically.  
  
Munkustrap agreed.  
  
"Anything you need. We're with ya all the way!"  
  
A crafty smile spread across the magical cat's white face.  
  



	12. Justice

(author's note) *sigh* This is the last, and longest, chapter of my story. First of all, I mean no offense to any celebrities (you'll know what I mean when you get there). Second of all, Misto's little temper explosion thing has nothing to do with whatever the guard cats say (again, you'll know what I mean when you get there:).  
And now for a sentimental moment. To all of you who read and reviewed this story, thank you so much! Even if you didn't write a review, thank you anyway! This is my longest story and I know it probably seemed pointless at times, but your positive impute feels so great! Thank you so much to all of you!  
And, just for the fun of it, I would like to thank my beautiful dog, Bella. You'll understand why when you read this chapter.  
I'll shut up now so that you can.  
Thanx ya'll!   
U ROCK!  
=^.".^=  
  
  
(the next day)  
  
  
"Hey Vor?" asked Layf. "Do you think the jellicles have found the magical cat's body yet?"  
  
The head guard cat shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. They've at least noticed that he's missing. If anything, we can be sure of that."  
  
The guard cats had spent the previous night in a nearby alley so that they would not risk being seen by the jellicles. They had come back a day earlier than they had made known. That way, the tribe would never suspect that they could be involved in the magical cat's death. But now it was the next day and they could return to the tribe and find out what had resulted from their murder of Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.  
  
"We ripped it up so well I doubt they'll even recognize it," laughed Tak.  
  
"Oh, they'll recognize it all right," answered Vor. "But, I don't think they recognize it as a murder. What we want them to think was that it was attacked by a pollicle."  
  
"Why can't we tell them it was us who saved them?" asked Tak.  
  
Golb spoke up.  
  
"They are a strong tribe. They are well attached to Mistoffelees, magical cat or not. Until we can convince them that its death was for their good, we should keep our part in it a secret."  
  
"You know," voiced Kent to no one in particular. "I don't think the trust between Mistoffelees and the tribe was all that great."  
  
"Why do you say that?" asked Vor.  
  
"Well, even after we started to encourage the magical cat to leave, the jellicles remained just as friendly to us as they were from the beginning."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, if Mistoffelees trusted them, it would've told them about our threat. And, if they knew about it, don't you think they would've at least stopped being so friendly?"  
  
"Hey, that's right," said Golb.  
  
Kent continued.  
  
"I think we can safely assume that the magical cat did not tell anyone about what we said to it. So like I said, the trust between it and the tribe must not be all that great."  
  
Vor nodded. This was indeed a good point. Perhaps convincing the tribe that the magical cat's death was a fortune to them would not be as hard as they thought.  
Layf spoke up.  
  
"What I meant from the beginning was, shouldn't we check the clearing to see if the body is still there?"  
  
"Why the Heavyside would we do that?" asked Tak.  
  
"Well, if the body is still there, that would mean the jellicles don't know it's dead and they won't say anything about it when we arrive. But, if it's gone, then the jellicles must've found it and we can be ready to act appropriately when we find them all in tears."  
  
"Good idea Layf," said Vor. "We'll do that."  
  
Then gang headed toward the magical cat's clearing.  
  
When they got there, they did not see the lifeless figure of Mistoffelees. Only a dried pool of blood that marked where he had died. So the jellicles had discovered his body and taken it back to their clearing. Now the guard cats could be prepared for glum faces and maybe even tears when they returned.  
They were just about to exit the clearing, when they heard music begin to play. It sounded hollow and distant and it echoed a little bit. They stopped short as they recognized it as the song of the magical cat.  
  
"Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical. Mr. Mistoffelees?"  
  
Everyone, except Kent, froze on the spot when they saw what happened next. I say everyone except Kent because he was the only one who could not see anything. He only heard the haunting music and saw the horrified faces of his comrades.  
What the other four saw was indeed surprising.  
In the center of the clearing, they saw Mr. Mistoffelees himself!   
He was dancing to the music.  
However, he was different in his appearance.   
His fur seemed to be different shades of gray rather than black and white. It did not sparkle when he danced. Instead it seemed to have an eerie, bluish glow to it. His outline was not sharp but rather fuzzy as if they were looking at him through a lens that needed to be focused.   
There was another thing.  
Usually when he danced he wore a big ear to ear smile that lit up his white face. His eyes sparkled with the love to dance and perform his magic. But now, he seemed so melancholy.  
His expression was so blank,  
so cold,  
so dead.  
A chill ran down the four brown tom's spines.   
Could this be the ghost of the magical cat that they had murdered?  
Suddenly, the music stopped and a deathlike silence filled the clearing. Though their eyes never left the ghastly form, it took the four guard cats a second or two to realize that he had stopped dancing and was staring straight at them. Not just one of them, he seemed to make eye contact with all of them at the same time. It felt as though his eyes were burning holes in their bodies.  
He must be a ghost!  
Vor had been leading the group, and so he was closest to the apparition. He stared at it in shock. He could not move his eyes. They stayed locked on the ghastly figure. Every muscle in his body was tense. He never believed in ghosts. Actually seeing one was something he never thought he'd do. Certainly the last thing he had expected at that moment in time.   
He drew in a sharp breath.  
Unless he was dreaming, the ghost had a smile on his face! But, it was not a friendly smile. At the same time, it was not an evil smile. It was simply a smile. Vor supposed it could be a crafty smile. Crafty was the only word that he could think of to describe it. Either way, the ghost of the feline they had murdered was smiling at them.  
And. . .holy Heavyside!  
He was coming toward them!  
Vor's eyes grew wide with terror. The ghost was coming toward them! He lifted one foot and placed it in front of the other and yet, he did not seem to be walking. Rather he glided over the ground with every step he took.  
He came closer.  
Closer.  
Closer.  
He could not have been more than ten feet away when Vor decided he couldn't take it anymore.   
He began to slowly back away from the ghost of Mistoffelees.  
Further and further he backed away.  
He supposed that his comrades were doing the same as he did not run into them. Either that or they had retreated and he had not noticed. He was too terrified to turn around and find out. He could not move his eyes from the ghost's hard gaze. It continued to glide closer. Vor continued to back away until, he felt something hard against his back.  
Drat!  
It was the edge of the clearing. Probably a washing machine or oven or something of that kind.  
Whatever it was, Vor had his back against it and it prevented him from going any further.   
His breath quickened.  
Misto's smile had become bigger and , Vor thought, craftier.  
He continued to move forward. As he did, he seemed to be fading away. It wasn't fast, but Vor was positive that he could see through the ghastly figure more and more every second.  
He was practically gone and only one step away from the gang leader, when the ghost lifted a paw above his head and snapped his fingers.   
It vanished from view.  
Vor had not heard the snap. It was silent. The brown tom let out a sigh of relief as he finally realized that the ghost was gone.  
He looked around.  
So was his gang!  
Vor panicked.  
Where were they?  
Gone!  
Vanished!  
Had the ghost taken them with him?  
  
"Hi Vor," he heard the voice of Golb say.  
  
He saw the four heads of the brown toms appear from behind different pieces of junk.  
  
"We were right behind ya the whole time!" said Layf.  
  
"Yeah," added Tak. "We weren't afraid!"  
  
Kent said nothing. He did not even know what had happened. He heard music. He saw his friends stare at something that he could not see. He saw them run and hide. He followed. That's all he knew.  
Vor was too glad to see them to be angry. And yet, he was too shaken up to be glad.  
There was no doubt about it.  
They had just had an encounter with the ghost of Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.  
  
=^.".^=  
  
(an hour later)  
  
The guard cats had been slowly making their way to the tribe's clearing. None of them spoke. What could they say? What can anyone say after seeing the ghost of someone they had murdered? And what could Kent say being as he had not seen anything? Vor was especially silent.  
Finally, Layf spoke up.  
  
"Look, why can we just forget about what we saw and relax?"  
  
"What did we see?" asked Kent.  
  
Layf ignored him and continued.  
  
"I mean, we will not be able to play convincing innocent cats if our minds are elsewhere. And for another thing, so we just happened to see a ghost. So what? What are the chances that it will come back?"  
  
"What were the chances that it would come in the first place," mumbled Tak.  
  
Kent was dumbstruck. A ghost? What ghost?  
Layf continued.  
  
"Besides, I've always heard that ghosts only return to the scene of their death."   
This statement comforted Vor a great deal.  
  
"That's right," he said. "We should just forget about it and concentrate on our behavior for the jellicle tribe."  
  
No sooner had the words escaped his mouth, then Vor fell forward and landed on his face. He looked up angrily at his gang.  
  
"Who did that?" he demanded.  
  
The brown toms were stunned.  
  
"What?" asked Golb. "Who did what?"  
  
"Don't be pollicles!" snapped the leader. "Someone tripped me!"  
  
"None of us tripped you."  
  
"Is that so Layf? Then how did I end up on the ground?"  
  
"VOR!"  
  
The standing guard cats spun around as the loud, hollow voice echoed through the junkyard. All except Kent, who had not heard anything.  
  
"Hey guys?" said Golb nervously. "Did that sound at all like Mistoffelees to you?"  
  
"You idiot!" said Tak. "How could it be Mistoffelees? He's dead!"  
  
Tak's head suddenly snapped to the right. He almost lost his balance. He touched a paw to his cheek and looked with bewilderment at the blood that covered his fingers. Five, red scratches had appeared on his face. Who was the attacker?  
  
"TAK!"  
  
The brown tom fell to the ground and covered his head with his paws when he heard the strange voice say his name.  
  
"It is Mistoffelees!" he cried.  
  
Golb stood over him and laughed.  
  
"You idiot! How can it be Mistoffelees? He's dead!"  
  
The next thing Golb knew, he was pushed to the ground, landing on top of his comrade.  
  
"GOLB!"  
  
Layf opened his mouth to speak when something that could not be seen grabbed him by the fur and threw him into a pile of rubber.  
  
"LAYF!"  
  
Kent watched in horror as each of his comrades fell due to some invisible force. An evil spirit of some sort! It must be!  
  
"No!" he cried.  
  
He turned to run away when he felt a burning pain in his back and fell to the ground. The other four toms had heard what sounded like the lightning of the magical cat.  
  
"KENT!"  
  
The four who had heard this, as Kent did not hear anything, looked up to see the misty glowing figure of Magical Mr. Mistoffelees standing between them and the path to the tribe's clearing. He stood, or rather he hovered, with his arms crossed and the same crafty smile on his face.  
Before any of the brown toms could react, he faded away, leaving them alone. Or so they hoped.  
  
After a short while, the guard cats recovered from their second encounter with the ghost of Mistoffelees. Kent was feeling very confused and rather scared. He did not know what was going on. In his state of panic, his mind told him it that an evil spirit was attacking them. But now, he didn't know what to think.  
The gang stood no less than thirty feet from the tribe's clearing. Each of them trying to relax and help the others to relax..  
  
"We have to act normal," said Vor, talking to himself as well as the others. "Think, we have just returned from a four day vacation. We don't know anything about the magical cat or the rest of the tribe. We will enter the clearing expecting a warm welcome, and will be surprised, and concerned, when we find them upset."  
  
The brown toms nodded.  
  
"We can do this, we're professionals," concluded the leader.  
  
He took a deep breath and continued toward the tribe's clearing with his gang close behind.  
  
They were scarcely ten feet from the entrance when they heard a friendly voice call out to them. At least four of them did. As you have probably guessed, Kent heard nothing. The four who had, looked up and stopped short. The misty figure of Mistoffelees was walking from the clearing toward them. He actually walked this time rather than gliding just above the ground. He still smiled, but this time it was not so mysterious. Now, he wore a carefree, friendly, almost annoying smile on his glowing white face.  
Kent stopped short when his comrades did, but he did not know why they had done so.  
  
"Hey guys!" called Misto when he had reach them. "It's great to see ya! Well not that great, but still! How long has it been?"   
  
The ghost paused and looked at his wrist.  
  
"A whole twenty-four hours! Well, it's been that long since you saw me alive. I guess it's really been more like ten minutes since we last met."  
  
The four guard cats stared at him in stunned silence as he broke into a fit of inane laughter.  
  
"Come on Vor," he said, when he had gotten a hold of himself.  
  
He held out his arms and walked toward the leader as if to give him a hug, but instead, the magical passed right through the brown tom.  
The guard cats who could see him drew in sharp breaths that startled Kent.  
Misto simply shrugged.  
  
"Haven't quite gotten used to that yet," he said casually.  
  
He looked at each of their tense faces.  
  
"What?" he asked. "You've never seen a ghost before?"  
  
When they didn't respond, Mistoffelees continued.  
  
"Hey, I know where you're comin from. I've never seen a ghost either. It's not like I can look in a mirror. If there's anything I've learned, it's that we don't reflect very well. Or at all, for that matter."  
  
Mistoffelees suddenly noticed that the green eyes of four of the guard cats were nervously shifting from his face to his feet. Confused, he looked down to see that he had subconsciously risen into the air and was hovering about a foot over the ground. He grinned sheepishly and lowered himself down.  
  
"Sorry, I've never been a ghost before."  
  
Golb had been trying to stay silent like the rest of his gang. But, as he watched the carefree behavior of the magical cat, his curiosity got the better of him.  
  
"What's it like?"  
  
Kent looked at him confusedly. Who was he talking to?  
Misto's face lit up.  
  
"You can still talk!" he exclaimed. "I was beginning to wonder. What's what like?"  
  
"Being a ghost," answered the brown tom.  
  
Misto shrugged.  
  
"It's okay I guess."  
  
He looked at his paws.  
  
"It's different."  
  
He stuck one of his paws deep into his stomach and pulled it out without leaving a single mark behind.  
  
"Kinda disgusting."  
  
Golb nodded in agreement. The magical tom continued.  
  
"I did prefer black to this bluish, gray color, but there's nothing I can do about that."  
  
"How did the jellicles react to seeing you?" asked Layf who was also starting to relax and get curious.  
  
Kent stared at him. Layf too? What was going on?  
  
Mistoffelees smiled.  
  
"You really don't understand this whole ghost thing do you?"  
  
Layf shook his head.  
  
"Well, I'll try to explain it as simply as I can."  
  
The magical cat cleared his throat and disappeared.   
That same second, he reappeared behind the guard cats. Only this time, he was very much different. He had on a light gray suit jacket and a bright red bowtie. He also wore a thick pair of black rimmed glasses. In his left paw, he held a thick book like an encyclopedia. In his right paw, he held a pen which he clicked open and shut at random times, though he never wrote with it. He was hovering about two feet in the air and appeared to be sitting on some invisible chair. He cleared his throat and began to speak with a thicker, almost overdone British accent than he had before.  
  
"There are two ways to get to the Heavyside layer," he said, subconsciously clicking the pen. "The first one is to die. The second one is to be sent there by your tribe. Now if you are either sent there, or die of natural causes, then you have the opportunity to be reborn. A bit like reincarnation. Are you understanding me so far?"  
  
The four guard toms nodded.  
  
"But," continued Misto. "If you should happen to be murdered, then being reborn is out of the question. You can, however, come back as a ghost. The only catch is, only the ones responsible for your death can see and, or, hear you. Is everything clear now?"  
  
"Oh yeah," replied Layf. "Perfectly clear."  
  
Mistoffelees smiled.  
  
"Good, I'm glad I could be of service."  
  
In a sudden puff of smoke, he disappeared and reappeared to the left of the guard cats. This time looking, talking and acting the way he did before.  
  
"One more question," added Layf.   
  
He pointed toward Kent.  
  
"Why can't he see you?"  
  
Misto looked confused.  
  
"He can't see me?"  
  
He walked up to the guard cat and waved his paw in front of his face. Kent did not react. Misto smiled.  
  
"Well, what'dya know?" he said.  
  
He snapped his fingers in front of the brown tom.  
  
"Yo, Kent! Ghost callin ya!"  
  
No response.  
A crafty smile came to the ghost's face. He reached up and grabbed the back of the guard cat's head. There was a spark as his fingers touched his skin. Kent cried out in pain and surprise. The other toms jumped backward. Mistoffelees laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, just havin a little fun that's all. What can I say? I couldn't resist. "  
  
Kent had been staring at his comrades in confusion. They were looking at, and talking to someone, or something, that was not there. They had all gone insane! They had been inhabited by some evil spirit! He was the only one who was free. Then, Layf pointed to him and said the words, 'why can't he see you? Kent did not know what was going on. They turned their focus to him. He suddenly felt a shock on the back of his head. The evil spirit must be trying to enter him too! He clutched the back of his head with a paw, but the pain was gone. Only now, he heard a tiny voice in his head. It said things like,  
"You are a murderer!"  
"You are all murderers!"  
"The Everlasting cat does not like murderers!"  
"There is no place in the Heavyside Layer for murderers!"  
  
Kent did not know where this voice was coming from, but he did not like it. He shook his head. He tried to ignore it, but it would not go away.  
Meanwhile, the other four guard cats had turned their focus back to something that he could not see.  
  
"C'mon," said the ghost. "I'll bet the others will be glad to see you."  
  
He started toward the tribe's clearing. The guard cats followed.   
  
"Hey," said Misto. "I don't suppose you guys could help me out a little. You did kill me so you owe me something. Maybe, I could talk to you and you could tell the others what I'm saying."  
  
Mistoffelees thought about this for a while.  
  
"Nah," he said with a wave of his paw. "Forget I even brought it up. After all, what I would want to tell them, you would not want them to know."  
  
=^.".^=  
  
No one seemed to notice the gang of brown toms. They entered the tribe's clearing with big smiles, but they quickly faded when they saw the sadness that filled the area. They pretended as though they did not know what had happened.  
They expected it.  
They knew that they would have to act the way they did. However, the annoyingly carefree apparition that hung around them as if nothing was wrong made it especially difficult.  
Mistoffelees looked around at his fellow jellicles. For a moment, his happy expression turned solemn. He looked at the guard cats.  
  
"It's funny," he said. "I seem to remember someone saying that I would not be missed."  
  
Vor flinched at the ghost's cold words, but nobody noticed.  
Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke where the magical tom stood. A queen appeared in his place. An older Siamese. She sat in an overstuffed armchair. Her ankles crossed. Her paws folded in her lap. A serious expression on her face. She talked into a camera that was in front of her.  
  
"Today we will be talking to five toms who call themselves guard cats," she said, with an air of authority. "We will find out from them how a murderer can deal with the deed he, or she, has committed. What is it like from their point of view? That's next on the Pouncra Queenfry show."   
  
She gave the camera a sincere smile.  
  
"Go to commercial," said a voice.  
  
A puff of smoke and the camera, and Pouncra Queenfry, disappeared.  
Again, the four brown toms saw Mistoffelees, who sat in the armchair with his ankles crossed and his paws folded in his lap. He looked up at them with that annoying grin.  
Tak narrowed his eyes and took a step toward him.  
The chair disappeared as Misto leapt to his feet. He held out a paw toward the approaching guard cat. Tak suddenly felt as though his feet were glued to the ground. He could not walk any further.   
  
"Ah, ah, ah," said the ghost of Mistoffelees.   
  
He held up his paw as if to strike.  
  
"Remember, no one can see, or hear me, but you. It would be interesting to hear you explain how your face suddenly started to bleed for no reason whatsoever."  
  
The apparition waved both paws and let them drop to his sides. Tak stumbled backward into Golb. He muttered something under his breath, but snapped his mouth shut when he saw Misto hold up a paw with his claws extended. They looked longer now than ever before.  
Kent, in the mean time, had been nervously glancing at the jellicles. Jemima was crying and Victoria was trying to comfort her.  
The voice in his head was growing louder.  
"You'll never get away with it."  
"They will find out."  
"They will learn that it was you."  
"You'll never get away with it."  
"You are a murderer!"  
  
"Hey guys," said a voice.  
  
The guard cats looked to see the Rum Tum Tugger walking up to them. A forced smile on his face.  
  
"Hey, it's the Rum Tum Tugger!" answered Vor.   
  
He and the Maine coon slapped paws, but Tugger's smile appeared to be fading.  
  
"Did something happen while we were gone?" asked the gang leader.  
  
Tugger let out an exasperated sigh.  
  
"Actually," he started, trying to figure out what to say.  
  
Mistoffelees smacked the head guard cat on the arm.  
  
"What do you think?" he said. "You know something happened while you were, quote, unquote, gone!"  
  
"Shut up!" hissed Tak.  
  
Rum Tum Tugger shot him a look.  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Tak!" snapped Vor.  
  
Misto burst out laughing.  
Tak's jaw dropped open.  
  
"I-I. . ." he stammered.  
  
Golb broke in.  
  
"He was talking to me."  
  
Tugger wrinkled his forehead.  
  
"But you didn't say anything."  
  
"Yes, I did. I whispered a comment about his mother. He didn't like it too much."  
  
"Well, it wasn't funny," hissed Tak.  
  
Vor turned back to the Maine coon.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that."  
  
"No prob."  
  
The ghost finally stopped his inane laughter.  
  
"That was good!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.  
  
Vor ignored him and continued to speak.  
  
"You were saying?"  
  
"Yeah," Tugger replied.  
  
He cleared his throat.  
  
"Ya know Mistoffelees?"  
  
Vor nodded.  
  
"The magical cat? Yeah, we know him."  
  
"He's dead."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Mistoffelees again smacked Vor on the arm.  
  
"You heard him! I'm dead."  
  
"He's dead," said the Maine coon.  
  
"You see?"  
  
Tak started to move, but Misto shot him a look and he backed off. Tugger continued.  
  
"We found him yesterday. He was all ripped up, it was awful."  
  
Misto placed one one paw on his heart and the other paw over his forehead.  
  
"Yes, it does sound truly awful," he said with a dramatic sigh.  
  
Tugger continued.  
  
"We aren't sure what killed him yet. Munkustrap is discussing it with Old Deuteronomy right now."  
  
Vor pointed to something behind the Tugger.  
  
"Looks like he's done."  
  
Tugger turned to see the gray tabby walking up to them.  
  
"Hi guys," he said. "Did Tugger tell you already?"  
  
Vor nodded.  
  
"Do you know what did it?" he asked.  
  
The apparition rolled his eyes.  
  
"Why are you asking? You know what did it!"  
  
There was another puff of smoke. Mistoffelees disappeared. A red tabby appeared wearing a gray suit jacket and tie. He sat in a tall chair and spoke with an overdone New York accent rather than British.  
  
"Munkustrap, here is your final, one million catnip question."  
  
Mistoffelees, who now looked distinctly like Clawgis Furbin who hosted the show Who Wants to be a Catnippaire, looked up and read the question as it came up on a screen that had appeared in the sky.  
  
"What killed the magical cat?  
Was it   
A, pollicle  
B, Godzilla  
C, aliens from outer space  
or D, the guard cats?"  
  
"Yeah," said Munkustrap to Vor. "We've decided it was a pollicle."  
  
Clawgis wrinkled his forehead.  
  
"You said A, pollicle. Is that your final answer?"  
  
"Are you sure bro?" asked the Tugger.  
  
Munkustrap nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we're sure. What else could've done it?"  
  
Clawgis frowned.  
  
"I'm sorry that's incorrect."  
  
A puff of smoke and Clawgis Furbin, and the screen, disappeared.   
  
"I can't believe he got that one wrong," said Mistoffelees, who had reappeared. "It was so simple!"  
  
Kent placed a paw on his forehead. Those voices were so loud they had become deafening. He felt dizzy.  
"Not much longer."  
"They will find out."  
"They'll learn what you did."  
"Better come clean now."  
  
"You know," said the ghost of Mistoffelees. "I hate for them to have lost all that catnip, and still not know what the correct answer is. If only there was some way I could tell them."  
  
Vor bit his tongue. He was afraid he would lose his concentration if that ghost did not be quiet!  
Mistoffelees snapped his fingers.  
  
"Wait a minute!" he said. "There is a way!"  
  
The guard cats stiffened. Misto smacked his forehead and continued.  
  
"Why didn't I think of it before? One of the cats in this tribe is psychic. I can just tell her!"  
  
Vor and the others took in quick breaths as Mistoffelees disappeared and reappeared on the tire next to the jellicle queen named Tantomile.  
He leaned in toward her and whispered into her ear.  
Her eyes widened.  
  
"I'm getting a message from Mistoffelees!" she cried.  
  
Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger ran to her to see what she would say.  
Her eyes glazed over and her face became blank.  
  
"It was not a pollicle that killed me," she said in a monotone voice.  
  
Kent's head began to swim.  
"She knows!"  
"You've been discovered!"  
"Come clean now!"  
  
"I was murdered," continued the queen.  
  
Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger started.  
  
"Murdered?" said the gray tabby. "By who?"  
  
"Someone who is here now."  
  
The guard cats tensed up. There was nothing they could do.  
Kent was ready to lose it. The words were like thunder.  
"Tell them now!"  
"Come clean now!"  
"You are a murderer!"  
"You are a murderer!"  
"You are a murderer!"  
  
He suddenly felt as though all his strength had left his body. He fell to his knees.   
  
"Stop it!" he cried at the top of his lungs. "All right! It was us! We killed the magical cat! We killed Mistoffelees!"  
  
Seconds after he'd said this, there was a flash of light that filled the entire clearing. When it disappeared, all was as it was before except for one thing, Mistoffelees' appearance. His fur was once again shiny black and pure white with no hint of a bluish, gray glow. His outline was no longer blurry. In short, he no longer looked like a ghost. He looked the same as he did when he was alive. He was still sitting on the tire.   
Tantomile had been frightened by the flash and ran to the washing machine where her brother, Coricopat, was sitting.   
Misto's eyes were closed and he rubbed his forehead.  
  
"You all right Misto?" asked Rum Tum Tugger.  
  
The tuxedo nodded.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
"That was exhausting."  
  
Kent, who was still on his knees, was seeing the magical cat for the first time since the previous day. He was terrified.  
The other guard cats stared at Misto and the Maine coon with shocked expressions.  
  
"You can see him?" asked Vor.  
  
Tugger shot him a sarcastic look. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mistoffelees cut him off.  
  
"Him? When did I get promoted from, it?"  
  
His words were like ice. Kent shuddered as one of his comrades pulled him to his feet. Vor continued.  
  
"That's impossible. You can't see him, he's dead!"  
  
"Really?" said Munkustrap, raising an eyebrow. "He looks pretty alive to me."  
  
"But. . .but. . ."  
  
"Speak up, Vor!" hissed the tuxedo. "We can't hear you!"  
  
"You all heard Kent. He's dead! We killed him!"  
  
Rum Tum Tugger smiled and patted Misto on the back.  
  
"Ya just can't keep a good magical cat down can ya?"  
  
"There's no such thing," muttered Tak.  
  
Munkustrap took a step toward him and narrowed his eyes.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Tak started toward the gray tabby.  
  
"You heard me you pollicle! There's no such thing as a good magical cat!"  
  
With a fierce hiss, Munkustrap leapt at the brown tom who fell under his weight. The other guard cats started to help him, but were quickly surrounded by the jellicle toms, including the Tugger.  
Munkustrap slashed Tak across the face. He then picked him up by the fur and threw him into the circle of angry jellicles.  
  
"It's true!" said Vor, trying to sound calm. "There's no such thing as a good magical cat anywhere on the planet."  
  
"What are we waiting for?" said Tugger. "Let's kill em!"  
  
"Wait!" shouted Mistoffelees from the tire. "This is something I have GOT to hear."  
  
Vor visibly relaxed as the jellicle toms backed away from the gang, and stood along the edges of the clearing.  
  
"Go on," hissed Munkustrap. "Explain yourselves."  
  
Vor smiled confidently.  
  
"First of all, you must understand that we know more about magical cats than anyone."  
  
As the head guard cat spoke, Mistoffelees leapt from the tire and began walking toward them. Vor sneered at him.  
  
"We know more about your magical cat, than IT knows about itself."  
  
An angry Munkustrap started toward him, but Misto put a restraining paw on his arm.  
  
"Go on," he challenged. "If you know so much, tell us!"  
  
Vor smiled.  
  
"With pleasure, slime."  
  
No sooner had he said this, than there was a flash of lightning. Vor cried out as he fell back into the arms of Layf.  
Mistoffelees glared at them, his eyes were turning red.  
  
"Get talking!" he hissed.  
  
Vor regained his feet and began to shout.  
  
"All magical cats are the devil's servants!"  
  
He pointed an accusing finger at Misto.  
  
"This poisonous creature is one of them!"  
  
Mistoffelees clenched his fists. His fingers had already begun to spark. Vor continued.  
  
"They are chosen by the devil himself to do his evil work! Nothing good ever comes from their dark powers!"  
  
"That's not true!" shouted a voice.  
  
Plato leapt forward.  
  
"He uses his powers for good things only! He uses them to help us!"  
  
"What's an example?" demanded the head guard cat.  
  
Plato readily answered.  
  
"Last year, Old Deuteronomy was catnapped from the jellicle ball, and Misto brought him back!"  
  
"So your leader was catnapped? Was that before, or after that thing joined your tribe?"  
  
"After," replied the jellicle tom, without thinking.  
  
"You see?" said Vor. "Nothing good ever comes from a magical cat's presence. Wherever they go, pain and suffering follow."  
  
The bewildered Plato sank back into the crowd of jellicles, not knowing what to say.  
Rum Tum Tugger on the other hand, knew exactly what to say.  
  
"The only pain and suffering round here was because of you!" he shouted. "You're the poisonous ones!"  
  
"Give it a little thought, Rum Tum Tugger. You will see it our way with time."  
  
"Unfortunately, time is something you do not have!" hissed Munkustrap. "You're finished!"  
  
The head guard cat smiled sarcastically.  
  
"And, who's gunna finish us, pollicle? You?"  
  
"I am!"  
  
The brown toms turned to the little tuxedo. His eyes were red. His fists were clenched. There was fire in his words.  
Vor laughed.  
  
"You? You must be joking! You couldn't defend yourself against a fly!"  
  
"Is that so?" hissed the magical cat.  
  
Before anyone had time to blink, Mistoffelees appeared in front of Vor and slashed him across the face. The blow sent the leader tumbling to the ground. He looked up in shock. He rubbed his cheek and stared at his paw.  
There was no blood!  
It badly stung. It sure felt like Misto had broken the skin, but there was no blood on his cheek.  
The other guard cats noticed this too. They looked at their fallen leader with stunned expressions.  
They were suddenly snapped back to reality when Misto kicked Vor in the jaw. The leader rolled a few times before he staggered to his feet. Mistoffelees glared at him with fiery eyes.  
  
"What goes around, comes around," he hissed.  
  
There was a shout as Tak ran up behind the little tuxedo. Misto spun around and slashed him across the face. He then swiped his claws across the brown tom's stomach. Tak cried out in surprise and pain. He grabbed his stomach only to find that it was not bleeding. No matter how much it hurt, no blood was being shed.  
With the strength of ten toms, Misto grabbed Tak by the fur and threw him into Layf who was charging toward him from behind. Both toms fell to the ground.  
The watching jellicles cheered.  
Mistoffelees felt Kent grab his wrist. He twisted his arm out of his grasp. He then grabbed the guard cat's wrist and sunk his claws into his fingers. Kent gasped. He saw the tuxedo's claws pierce his skin, but there was no blood. Misto threw Kent to the ground and kicked him in the back.  
  
"At least that wasn't a rock!" he hissed.  
  
The tuxedo turned to Golb. He waved his paw and flicked his wrist. A spiked collar appeared in his paw.  
  
"Look familiar?" he asked.  
  
Golb's eyes grew wide. He felt his neck to find that his collar was not there.  
  
"Thought so."  
  
Mistoffelees threw the collar toward the guard cat and waved his paws. The collar wrapped itself around Golb's leg, piercing his skin with it's spikes. Golb screeched and tried to remove it, but before he could, he fell to the ground with a hard thud. Mistoffelees was on his back. He could not get up. The next thing he felt was Misto's arm around his neck. He gasped for breath.   
Since when was the magical cat this strong?  
His vision began to blur when, finally, the tuxedo released him.   
Misto rose to his feet just in time to fall under the weight of Layf.  
The jellicles gasped.  
Misto landed on his back. He slashed Layf once, twice. The second blow was so strong that Layf was knocked off of the magical cat, pressing a paw to his cheek. Misto got up and grabbed his paw. Repeating what he had done to Kent, the tuxedo swiped his claws through the guard cat's fingers.  
Golb and Kent ran up behind him, but Misto spun around and slashed them both with a single swipe of his claws.  
Meanwhile, Tak had taken one of Vor's paws and was helping him to his feet. Mistoffelees suddenly appeared next to them. He grabbed Vor's other arm and gave it a good yank. Vor cried out and grabbed his arm as he fell back to the ground.  
Misto grabbed Tak's arm and yanked it also. Tak fell to the ground and recoiled as Mistoffelees kicked him in the stomach.  
Layf had just managed to get to his feet when the magical cat appeared behind him and swiped his claws across his back. Layf cried out and fell.  
Now, all of the guard cats were on the ground. They moaned and clutched their bloodless wounds. Mistoffelees made his way to Vor and glared down at him.  
  
"You said a guard cat never goes back on his word," he hissed.  
  
He took hold of one of Vor's arms and held his claws to his wrist. The head guard cat's eyes were wide with fear.  
Misto released him.  
  
"And yet, Mistoffelees is still alive."  
  
Misto stepped over the brown tom and walked toward the tire. As he moved away, each of the guard cats rose to their feet. They helped their leader to his. Vor glared in the direction of the magical cat.  
  
"A guard cat never goes back on his word!" he shouted. "Mistoffelees is DEAD!"  
  
Together, the guard cats charged toward the tuxedo.  
  
"Misto, look out!" cried Jemima.  
  
Mistoffelees whirled around and waved his paws wildly through the air.  
There was a brilliant flash of light that was so bright, the jellicles had to shield their eyes.  
There was a loud noise, unlike any that anyone had ever heard.   
Then, there was silence.  
The jellicles slowly opened their eyes.  
Mistoffelees was standing alone.  
He looked up at the sky, but his eyes were closed. His arms were down at his sides. His breath was calm and relaxed. He was calm and relaxed.  
Most importantly, the guard cats were gone.  
Jemima was the first to move. She had been watched the whole ordeal from the car bumper. Now, she ran to her mate and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"Misto, you were wonderful!" she said.  
  
She grabbed his head and pressed her lips against his.  
When the couple separated, they saw that their fellow jellicles had surrounded them. They cheered for the magical cat. All the queens wanted to hug him. The toms patted him on the back and shook his paw.  
Rum Tum Tugger leapt onto the tire.  
  
"The greatest magicians have something to learn from Mr. Mistoffelees' conjuring turn!"  
  
The jellicle cats immediately joined in.  
  
"And we all say, Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical. Mr. Mistoffelees?"  
  
The Maine coon leapt from the tire. The jellicles ran to the edges of the clearing. The little tuxedo danced as around as the Rum Tum Tugger sang his song.  
  
"He's quiet, he's small, he's black  
From the ears to the tip of his tail.  
He can creep through the tiniest crack,  
He can walk on the narrowest rail.  
He can pick any card from the pack.  
He's equally cunning with dice.  
He's always deceiving you into believing that he's only hunting for mice!"  
  
An idea suddenly came to the magical cat's head. He was going to do something different this time.  
He snapped his fingers. A cork appeared in his paw.  
  
"He can play any trick with a cork,"  
  
Misto clutched the cork in his fist and blew on it.  
  
"Or a spoon and a bit of fish paste."  
  
He opened his paw to reveal a spoon bearing a tiny bit of salmon paste. With a cute little grin, he swallowed the food. . .and the spoon!  
The jellicles gazed at him in surprise.  
He winked at them and pulled the spoon out of his ear!  
The felines laughed.  
Misto threw the spoon into the air where it disappeared.  
The jellicles rose to their feet as they continued the song.  
  
"Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"  
  
The little tuxedo was hoisted onto the shoulders of Alonzo and Munkustrap who paraded him through the junkyard.  
  
"Oh! Well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"  
  
Finally, the two toms let the tuxedo down onto the tire.  
  
"I give you the magical, the marvelous, Mr. Mistoffelees!" shouted the Rum Tum Tugger.  
  
The jellicles looked toward Misto. A huge smile spread across his face. He had planned on saving this trick for the ball, but what the Heavyside?  
He vigorously rubbed his paws together.  
There was a gasp as they began to glow.  
Using the same actions that he had used before, Mistoffelees soon had a beautiful, glowing star above his head.  
He waved his paws and it began to spin.  
It spun faster and faster and faster, until it was just a golden blur above the heads of the amazed jellicles.  
Misto clapped his paws together.  
  
"Presto!"  
  
The golden light suddenly exploded into a rainbow cloud of butterflies!  
The jellicles cheered.  
The kittens leapt at the winged colors trying to catch them.  
The celebration in honor of the magical cat continued.  
A little while later, a stray calico entered the clearing. Rum Tum Tugger embraced and kissed her. He introduced her to the tribe as Medica, the one with the healing powers. The jellicles cheered for her. Mistoffelees could not thank her enough for how she had helped him. Before the end of the afternoon, she had been accepted into the tribe and was proud to call herself a jellicle cat.   
The felines celebrated long after the sun set.  
It was midnight when the last jellicles went to their sleeping quarters.  
Mistoffelees and Jemima were laying in each other's arms inside their little hovel.  
  
"Misto," said the queen. "You were wonderful."  
  
"So were you," he answered. "Everyone was acting so well, I almost thought you really couldn't see me."  
  
"Oh we could see you all right! It was hard to keep from laughing!"  
  
Misto smiled. Jemima continued.  
  
"I didn't know you could do an impression of Pouncra Queenfry so well."  
  
The magical cat felt himself blush.  
  
"That was a spur of the moment thing!"  
  
"Oh sure," laughed Jemima.  
  
"It was!"  
  
"I said sure, didn't I?"  
  
"You were being sarcastic!"  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Oh be quiet!"  
  
"Make me!"  
  
"All right!"  
  
Mistoffelees leaned down and kissed her.  
They stared affectionately into each other's eyes when their lips finally parted.  
  
"I love you," said the tom.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
The purring queen rested her head on his chest. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.  
  
"Misto, where did you send those horrid guard cats anyway?"  
  
Mistoffelees didn't answer, but a smug smile spread across his face.  
  
=^.".^=  
  
Somewhere in the United States of America, a young girl was following her mother around a large fairground on a sunny day. She had her lovely pet Labrador retriever on a leash and was talking to her as they walked.  
  
"Lots of dogs here, huh Bella? Yeah, lots of dogs that are gunna enter the contest just like you."  
  
She was right, there were a lot of dogs. The town that her family lived in had a fair every summer. One of the most popular events was the dog show.  
  
"Lots of dogs that you are going to beat, huh Bella? Yes, because you are so beautiful."   
  
She scratched the lab behind the ears.  
She tapped her mother on the arm.  
  
"Mom, can I get a soda?"  
  
"MAY I get a soda," corrected her mother.  
  
"May I get a soda, please?"  
  
"Yes, you may."  
  
Her mother handed the girl a dollar bill. The girl excitedly led her dog through the crowd of both people and canines.  
She had almost reached the refreshment stand when suddenly, five, large, brown cats appeared out of nowhere and crashed into it.   
Popcorn, candy, sodas and fruit punch flew everywhere.  
There was a bark,   
and another,  
and another,   
and another,   
and another!  
Dozens of dogs pulled away from their masters and ran toward the refreshment table were the cats were. The frightened felines bolted away as fast as they could.  
Bella excitedly pulled away from the girl and joined the chase.  
  
"Bella! Bella girl, come back!"  
  
The girl ran after her pet as she ran after the felines.  
Tables and chairs were overturned.  
Souvenir and game stands collapsed as the cats ran past them and the dogs ran into them.  
Owners called their pets.  
Other spectators frantically moved out of the way.  
Laughing children escaped from their parents and ran after the animals.  
There was ultimate chaos at the fair.  
The girl did not remember how it all turned out.  
Somehow, the animal control officers were able to catch the stray felines, and return the dogs to their masters.  
Bella was returned to the girl.  
To this day, she remembers that day as the strangest she had ever experienced.  
  
  
The End =^.".^=   
  



End file.
